Just Like Nancy
by MissMe113
Summary: When the Hardys go to visit old friends, they-as usual-stumble upon a mystery. Can they solve it before someone they care about is hurt? Complete.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own any characters. ****Never have. But they're on my Christmas list!**

**A/N:****Yay! I'm back! And this time, I'm bringing Nancy with me. Yep; that's right! It's a Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys SUPER MYSTERY! cue applause**

**Age clarification: Joe 19; Frank and Nancy**** 20**

"Mom, we'll be – oof!" exclaimed Joe Hardy as he was pulled into a death grip by his mother, Laura. He flailed his arms-- as much as he could-- and attempted escape, much to his older brother's amusement.

"Gee, Joe. You were right. You really can't keep the ladies off of you," joked Frank Hardy.

"Ha-ha, Frank. Really, you kill me. Now, would you mind? Maybe sometime before Mom really DOES kill me…" Joe said, his words trailing off a bit at the end.

"Mom? Yeah, you need to let Joe go," Frank said, pulling his mother's arms off the blond brother. Quickly, he realized the error of his ways, as he too was pulled into a bone crushing embrace. Joe smirked.

"Well, well, well. Looks like the mother's on the other brother. Not so funny when's it's your wind pipe getting crushed, now is it Frank?" Frank just gave his brother a glare as he wrestled his mom's arms away from him.

"Mom, this isn't the first time we've traveled without you. Besides, we're not little kids anymore," Joe said.

"I know, I know but it's just… you're growing up. I mean, one day, you're eating sand in the backyard, and the next thing you know, you're going to stay with a girl! A very special girl, right Frank?" said Laura, winking at her oldest son.

"Mom…" Frank groaned.

"Oh, don't 'Mom' me. You and Nancy have always had a special bond. And you two would be so cute together," Laura insisted.

"Yeah, Frank. I mean, can't you just see the two of you at the alter? And then with little Frank and Nancy's running around in the yard?" Joe gushed jokingly. Frank sighed when he saw his mother's eyes light up at the prospect of grand-kids.

"Nancy and I are just friend. Anyway, Nancy has a boyfriend. Nothing could happen with Ned around," Frank said, hoping to end the conversation.

"Come on, Frank. We all know that you could kick Ned's butt!" Joe said.

"There will be no kicking of Ned's butt. Nancy and I are just friends," Frank said tiredly.

"You know, Frank, that was very cliché. And when people say it, they always want to be more than friends," Joe responded.

"We're just friends! Just friends!" Frank said to his brother, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt.

"No, you're not," Joe said, batting his eyelashes comically.

Frank sighed and released his brother. He had been a little hostile, but he was just so sick of trying to explain that he and Nancy were JUST FRIENDS!

'_But you don't want to be. You know you love her!' _Said the irritating little voice inside his head.

"Oh! Shut up!" Frank said, realizing after a minute that he had said it out loud.

"Uh… sorry," Frank said to Joe.

"It's OK, big bro. I forgive you. After all, you're crazy… crazy in love," Joe added, laughing at his own joke.

"Oh, ha-ha. Joe, you kill me," Frank said sarcastically.

"I know," Joe replied smugly.

"Mom! Joe wants another hug!" Frank called, glaring at his brother.

"I hate you," Joe mouthed as their mother came tearing through the yard, wrapping her arms around her baby boy.

Frank just smiled wickedly in return, in fear that his mother would hear and turn her attention onto her eldest son.

"Mom… no, Mom! Mom, come on!" Joe said, struggling.

Frank sighed. He knew that they were going to be late if Laura didn't become unattached herself from Joe.

"Mom, we're going to be late. Please let go of Joe," Frank said.

Laura backed away from Joe.

"Ok," she sniffled, wiping her eyes on her hands.

The brothers both kissed their mom on the cheek before climbing into Frank's car and driving towards the airport.

--

"The pilot informs me that we are ready to take off. Please make sure that your chairs are in their full upright positions and that your seatbelt is securely buckled. And thank you again for flying with Bayport Airlines."

Frank let his thoughts flow as the plane began climbing towards the sky.

_You really do like Nancy. It's hard not to. She's so smart, and funny. And you can't forget beautiful. Like when the sun hit's her hair just right, and her eyes sparkle…_

"Frank? Frank, snap out of it!" Joe said.

"What? Oh, sorry Joe. What was it that you wanted?" Frank asked.

"I ever so politely asked for you to hand over the food Mom packed for the flight," Joe said.

Frank sighed. He handed his brother his carry on case, which included enough food for a small feast for four.

Frank looked out the window. He thought about Nancy again, a small smile appearing on his face as he did so.

"You thinking about Nancy?" Joe asked while Frank continued day-dreaming.

"Uh-huh."

"Do you love her?" Joe asked, shoving bread into his mouth.

"Uh-huh."

"Can I have your sandwich?"

"Uh-huh."

"Do you realize you just admitted you love Nancy?" Joe replied with a evil grin.

"Uh-huh-WHAT? I didn't--," Frank sighed. "Oh, leave me alone!"

"Whatever you say," Joe grinned, biting into Frank's sandwich.

--

A couple hours later, Frank and Joe were walking up to Nancy's apartment building. She shared one with Bess, who was out of town with her cousin George for a family reunion.

The doorman buzzed them up, and they rode the elevator in silence.

They approached apartment 5B and Joe knocked on the door.

At the force of his knock, the door creaked open slowly.

The brothers looked at each other nervously. Frank pushed his way in first, worried about Nancy.

Their red-headed friend was no-where in sight.

"Where is she?" Joe asked, a little bit of fear seeping into his voice.

"I don't know. She knew we were coming today," Frank replied.

"Um, maybe we should look around," Joe said.

"Good idea," Frank agreed, looking around the kitchen.

He had barely been looking around for two minutes when he heard a gasp ensue from the bedroom.

He raced open and pushed open the door. He saw his brother staring at something on the floor.

It was Nancy, crumpled into a heap.

**A/N: Well, there's the first chapter.**** I wasn't really gone for that long, but as I mentioned in my other story, this one was rather infuriating and wouldn't leave me alone. **

**And that plane thing? Yeah, that only comes fluently from an experianced traveler (or someone with a really good memory!).**

**Please give me your thoughts on this.**

**Any form of criticism is appreciated. **

**But I like good reviews, too. 8)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: ****I own them. Oh, wait. That was a dream. Never mind.**

**A.N: OMG, I just realized that I only waited SIX days before adding this story.**

**I'm so weak! I can't even wait a full week!**

**Anyway, please enjoy this chapter!**

The brothers barely waited a second before approaching Nancy and sliding down next to her.

As soon as they were on the floor, they realized that she was fine; or as fine as you could be while sobbing you eyes out.

"Nancy? Are you OK?" Joe asked urgently.

"N-no!" Nancy whimpered.

"What's the matter?" Frank asked.

Nancy sat up. She appeared un-injured. As soon as she was facing him, she flung her arms around Frank's neck.

Frank felt a smile cross his face. He saw a look of surprise flicker across Joe's face, and then the blond brother shot Frank a smirk.

Frank scowled at his brother, rubbing his hands up and down Nancy's back, trying to sooth her.

"Nancy? Answer me; what's wrong?" Frank asked again.

"I-it's Ned!" Nancy sobbed into Frank's shoulder.

"What happened to Ned?" Joe asked.

"Nothing happened to him. Yet," she added with an after-thought.

"What do you mean 'yet'?" Joe asked.

"Well, I was s-supposed to meet him here so we could g-go out for coffee this mo-morning. But I t-thought that I would s-surprise him by meeting h-him at his dorm-room. I w-walked in, and h-heard something in the bathroom. I pushed o-open the door, and there was a blonde g-girl blow drying her h-hair! She looked at me a-and asked if I was Ned's s-sister. S-she explained that Ned s-said the she had to leave early this morning because he had to go m-meet his sister! An-and when I said 'this morning?' she said that she usually spent the night! Ned's been cheating on me!" Nancy wailed.

Joe saw a dark look pass over his brother's face.

"He was cheating on you?" Frank asked quietly.

Nancy nodded her head against his shoulder.

"I'm gonna kill him," Frank said simply.

"That's what I meant by 'yet'," Nancy whispered.

"Gee, Frank. And I thought you said that you _weren't _going to kick Ned's butt!" Joe said innocently.

Both Frank and Nancy glared at him.

"Too soon for jokes? Sorry," Joe mumbled, holding his hands in front of his chest.

"What did Ned say?" Frank asked.

"H-he said that he could explain, but we both knew that there was n-no possible explanation for this. H-he finally admitted that he had secretly been seeing _Heather_ for four months. Four months h-he's been cheating on me! " Nancy exclaimed, her tears dissolving into anger.

"Do you wanna help me kill him?" Frank asked carefully.

Nancy laughed. She shook her head, wrapping her arms more tightly around him.

Frank smiled again, the look on Joe's face not lost on him.

"Uh, Nance? Maybe could I, maybe, just, uh, maybe get a hug in too?" Joe asked, putting emphasis on every _maybe. _He knew that Nancy and Frank always, ALWAYS, extended their hug for as long as possible, but it was kinda getting ridiculous!

"Sorry, Joe," Nancy mumbled as she pulled away from Frank to give the younger detective a hug.

"I'm real sorry about Ned," Joe whispered into her ear.

"Thanks," Nancy said. She pulled away from Joe and wiped at her eyes.

She stood up to glance in a mirror over her dresser. She grimaced when she noticed the huge raccoon-eyes her running mascara had given her.

"Ugh. I look awful! Why don't you guys unpack while I clean myself up a bit? The guest room is around the corner, and then to the right," she directed, walking down the hall to the bathroom.

The minute Nancy left, Joe turned around to look at Frank. He crossed his arms and smirked.

"What?" Frank asked.

"You so like her," Joe laughed.

"Shut up!" Frank said his face reddening as he gave his brother a push to the shoulder.

"Ow!" Joe exclaimed. He lifted his sleeve to reveal a red mark slowly appearing on his shoulder. "Look at my shoulder!"

"Yeah, well at least your shoulder is still _dry_!" Frank exclaimed, pointing to his soaked t-shirt sleeve.

"Well, Frank, think of it this way: Your shoulder is wet because of Nancy's tears. You're complaining about her DNA being on your shoulder?" Joe asked, rubbing his bruising shoulder.

Frank opened his mouth, and then closed it quickly. He hadn't thought of it that way.

Joe smiled and turned to leave the room. The second Frank could no longer see a single blond hair; he turned his sleeve so that it was right in front of his face.

He brought the sleeve up to his nose and breathed in that amazing Nancy scent.

He closed his eyes and smiled. _I'm never washing this shirt ag-…_

"Ha!" Joe cried, leaping back into the room. "I knew you liked her!"

Frank could feel his face turn fiery red. He turned his sleeve back and avoided eye contact with his brother.

"Frank likes Nancy! Frank likes Nancy!" Joe said in a sing-song voice. "Frank _loves_….OW! Why, Frank, why? Think of how my poor shoulders feel!" Joe exclaimed.

Frank just glared at his brother.

Joe grumbled under his breath as he walked back out the door, crossing his arms to place a hand on each shoulder.

Frank followed Joe. He walked into a room with two small beds, pink walls and beige carpet. The blankets on the pillow were also bright pink, as were the curtains.

"Great. I'm gonna have to sleep with sunglasses on," Joe grumbled, and then went down the hall to grab their suitcases.

"Bess must have decorated," Frank decided before sitting down on one of the beds.

Joe walked in, struggling with the luggage. He stopped for a minute to glare at Frank.

"Oh, yeah. That's right; don't bother getting up to help me," Joe said sarcastically. "I wouldn't want you to pull a muscle or anything so just… OW! I pulled a muscle!"

Frank laughed as Joe dropped the suitcases and hobbled towards the bed.

"You see? This is why I didn't help," Frank said.

"First Mom damages my windpipe, then you practically break _both_ of my shoulders and now I've pulled a muscle. Is it Friday the thirteenth or something?" Joe grumbled.

"Yes," Frank responded.

"Yes what?" Joe said, turning towards is brother.

"Yes, it is Friday the thirteenth," Frank said.

Joe's eyes grew wide.

"I was just pulling your leg, baby brother. Oh, wait, I should say muscle," Frank laughed.

"Very funny," Joe said, rubbing his leg.

"I know," Frank smirked.

"Is this all for teasing you about Nancy? That's low, Frank, real low," Joe murmured.

"Hey."

The brothers turned towards the door. Nancy was standing there, her make-up reapplied and her hair brushed smooth and shiny. Her eyes were still red and puffy, but they could barely tell.

Frank's breath caught in his throat. She had just been crying her eyes out and was wearing barely any make-up, but to Frank, he had never seen anyone as beautiful.

"Tsk, tsk. Not even a little unpacked?" Nancy asked with a smile on her face.

**"**Um… we, umm…," Frank stuttered.

Joe noticed his brother stumbling for words and decided to step in.

"We were just contemplating how many pairs of sunglasses will stop the dangerous pink rays from reaching our eyes," he deadpanned.

"Hmm, I guess Bess did go a little overboard on the pink," Nancy observed.

Frank snorted.

"A little?"

"Ha-ha, Frank," Nancy said sarcastically.

"Actually, I agree," said Joe.

"I get it, but that's not why I came in here," Nancy said, running a hand through her hair.

"Then why?" Joe asked.

"Well, I just checked, and I have absolutely no food," Nancy said. "I was going to go shopping this morning after coffee with Ned, but well… you know."

"So, on our first day of our first vacation in a year, not to mention our first visit to Chicago to visit you, you want us to go grocery shopping?" Joe asked in disbelief.

"We'll all go! It'll be fun! Besides, I have no idea what it takes to fill the Hardy boys," Nancy said cheerfully.

"You mean the Hardy Men," Joe said.

"Yeah, OK. Whatever you say, Joe," Nancy said, rolling her eyes. "Come on, we'll take my car."

And so, they piled into Nancy's car and drove to the super-market.

As the store came into view, Frank couldn't shake the feeling of unease. He didn't know why, he had nothing to fear after all, but it seemed that something about the store was, well, just not right.

**A/N: Well, there you go. Yeah, I know Nancy was kinda falling apart, but she loved Ned. It's what I would do. Cry in a heap on the floor, I mean. **

**Did anyone notice I mentioned the Hardy Men? (Yeah, the 'M' was capitalized for a reason.) The movie, I mean. **

**Don't even get me started on that. I mean, it's a **_**comedy!**_

**(Madly rants under breath)**

**REVIEW! PLEASE REVIEW!**

**I LOVE REVIEWS, CRITICISM, ANYTHING!**

**(Rants about reviews)**

**Luv ya! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own them. Aren't you surprised?**

**A/N: Sorry it took me so long to update. The site wouldn't let me log in. It said some stuff, I said some stuff, but we're over it now.**

** H****opefully this chapter makes sense. I probably won't post again until this weekend. **

**Enjoy…**

* * *

"OK," Nancy said, grabbing a cart. "I'm gonna go around and grab the necessities, so why don't you guys grab a basket and grab some of the food you like?"

"Awesome," Joe said before grabbing a basket and each hand and making a beeline towards a row marked 'Candy'.

"He's still six, isn't he?" Nancy laughed.

"You have no idea," Frank responded before grabbing his own basket and walking away.

Nancy walked in blissful silence around the store. For some reason, shopping always relaxed her. It always made her feel like a mom picking up a nutritious meal for her family.

Nancy frowned._ 'Family. I always thought me and Ned were going to be family. And now…'_

She shook the thought away and picked up a carton of milk. The label read 2.

_'Two percent was always Ned's favourite…'_ She instantly dropped the carton back on the shelf and replaced it with 1.

She really had to stop thinking about Ned. She was gonna be in a really bad mood if she didn't.

She pushed the cart down another row, but stopped suddenly.

She began laughing hysterically. Joe was right in front of her, struggling with four or five baskets filled to the brim with junk-food.

"Joe, what's all this?" She asked, struggling to contain laughter.

"My mom never lets me help with shopping at home. She never let's me have junk-food either. Which reminds me, can we have McDonalds for dinner? Please?" Joe begged.

"Joe, do you know what they say about people who eat fast food?" Nancy asked.

"No…"

"If you are what you eat, then people who eat fast food are cheap and easy," Nancy responded.

Joe grinned.

"Wouldn't you like to find out?" He asked, grinning wolfishly.

Nancy grimaced.

"It's my fault. I had to bring it up," she said, mock scolding herself.

Joe emptied his baskets into her cart, but paused and picked up something.

"An eggplant? Really?" He asked, holding it up.

"So? They're good," Nancy said defensively.

"Yeah, good to throw. Or smash," Joe said, tossing the eggplant back into the cart.

"Don't worry, Joe. You'll see the light," Nancy said.

"No, I won't; it'll be covered in eggplant," Joe grinned.

Nancy sighed and continued to push the cart further down the row. Joe trailed behind her, throwing random objects into the cart. He picked something off the shelf and started to toss it in, but paused.

"Ick, mushroom soup," he said, putting the item back where it belonged.

"Joe! You love mushroom soup!" Nancy exclaimed.

"No, _Bayport_ Joe loves mushroom soup, Chicago Joe likes chili," he explained.

"I have no idea how your family's put up with you for nineteen years," Nancy sighed.

"Physiatrists, mental health institutes. You know, the usual," he deadpanned.

Nancy shook her head. She was about to toss in salad dressing when she suddenly looked down the isle.

A dark haired man stood there, holding a bottle of ketchup.

And it wasn't Frank.

Nancy blinked. She stood rooted in place, not even listening to Joe.

_Ned. _

Ned blinked back. In that instant, a blonde girl came up and grabbed his hand.

_Heather. _

Tears filled Nancy's eyes. Without even a word of warning, she abandoned her shopping cart and fled out of the row, heading towards the store exit.

"Nancy?" Joe called out, confused. His eyes then drifted towards the end of the row and instantly narrowed.

"Joe? Where's Nancy?" He heard a voice call from behind him. His eyes widened and he whirled around.

"Frank! Nancy… uh, she uh…" fumbled Joe.

Frank looked momentarily confused until Ned entered his view.

Joe winced as he heard his big brother do a sharp intake of breath.

"Frank? Let's not get hasty here…" Joe started.

"I'm gonna kill him. _How dare he_ show up here with _her_?" Frank said quietly.

"Frank! Focus! Nancy just left in tears, and you're worried about Ned?" Joe snapped.

Frank blinked at his brother.

"She was crying?" He asked. Joe nodded.

"I'm gonna kill, and then bring him back to life just to kill him again!" Frank exclaimed. He began to march towards the other dark-haired man when Joe put out an arm to stop him.

Or at least he thought it was Joe. He whirled around only to become face-to-face with a red-eyed Nancy.

"Frank. Don't. I'm fine, really. Let's just pay for this and go," she sniffled.

Frank nodded, giving Ned a death stare the whole time.

The threesome paid for their food and made their way towards the car.

Joe carefully lifted the bags out the door, right behind Nancy.

Suddenly, something bright caught his attention from the corner of his eyes.

He stiffened when he saw what is was.

He waited until he was half-way to the parking lot before leaning over to Nancy.

"Nancy? Do you see that guy leaning up against the pillar by the front door?" he asked.

Nancy nodded.

"He took your picture as we were leaving the building," Joe said quietly.

Nancy's eyes widened and her face turned pale.

"What?" Frank demanded. "Are you sure?"

"Positive. Have you ever seen that man before?" Joe asked.

Nancy shook her head.

"OK, that's really freaky," she said. "Why would a random stranger just take my picture?"

"That's not the freakiest part. He was trying to hide it. He had the camera up against his leg, so that it blended in with his pants. The flash caught my eyes," Joe explained.

"That's kinda scary," she whispered.

"Kinda? We should report this!" Joe exclaimed quietly.

Nancy thought for a moment. When she looked up, she could see the thoughts flowing behind Frank's eyes as well.

"Really? Because I want to investigate," Nancy declared, some of the colour returning to her face.

"I agree," Frank said, starting off.

"Oh, of course you'd agree with Nancy. I'm just your brother; it makes sense that you'd side with her, despite the fact she's not a blood relation!" Joe responded.

Without even listening to Joe, the two dropped their bags in Nancy's car before creeping away quietly.

The blond brother stood there for a moment.

Joe grumbled as he stalked away. "Why can't we just be like normal people and tell the manager?"

* * *

**A/N: I want to make one thing clear: I know I spelled 'favorite' the Canadian way. ****I usually spell it both ways, but the Canadian took favor this time. My mom taught me to spell it Canadian, but my dad always writes it American, so… **

**Yeah, and 'colour' is spelled Canadian, too. **

**Sorry for trying to bring a little culture to the story! **

**And about that stranger with the camera thing? That actually happened to me once. It was sooo scary! **

**I know that Joe would usually want to investigate, but I figure that he's tired. After all, they had a long trip, and then went grocery shopping.**

**So. **

**I might be a while before I update again, but please bear with me.**

**With reviews, my life would be complete.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: Not mine. Nothing's mine.**

**A/N: Tired. No further comment. **

"Hey, you guys-- WAIT UP!" Joe whispered loudly.

"Joe, come on!" Nancy said, shooting Joe a look.

Joe had almost caught up to them just as they were rounding the corner. He was about to follow when he was knocked to the ground. The man with the camera had come barreling around the corner and smashed right into him. The man ran away, unfazed.

Soon after, Nancy and Frank came back, too. They were breathing heavily and stopped when they saw Joe against the ground.

Nancy and Frank each grabbed one of Joe's arms, pulling him to his feet.

"What was that? To me, it resembled a brick wall, but I assume you got a better look," Joe said.

"We don't know. We were hiding behind the bushes when he popped up behind us. He tried to grab Nancy around her waist but missed and started to run," Frank replied.

Joe glanced towards their friend. She was a little pale, but other wise looked fine.

Joe scrunched up his eyebrows. What was that on her back?

He reached out and pulled a pink Post-It off of Nancy's back.

"Joe? What's that?" Nancy asked.

The blond brother held out the sticky note.

In red ink someone had neatly printed:

_Nancy Drew: Watch out._

"You see, that's very considerate of him. Usually, we get long letters describing what was going on, what we have to do and when we have to do it. This is short, sweet and to the point. Mmm, yes; very tasteful," Joe remarked.

Nancy and Frank gave him looks.

"What?" He said defensively.

"Joe, this is serious. Someone basically just tried to kidnap Nancy!" Frank said. "We have to report this to the police!"

"Um, Frank? I do believe I mentioned that already. You know, before I was tackled by a door with legs!" Joe exclaimed.

"Not the point, Joe," Nancy said.

"Fine, don't listen to me. Just remember that it was your decision when you're trapped and/or killed," Joe huffed.

That earned him more glares from the other two.

"Weren't you saying something about the police?" Joe asked sweetly.

"Right. There's no point in following him now," Frank said.

The three headed towards Nancy's car, and started on their way to the police station.

--

"I'm wiped," Nancy said when they finally arrived home two hours later.

"Ditto," Frank replied. He walked over to the sink and filled up a glass of water.

"I can't believe the police department came up with nothing," Joe huffed.

"Well, there nothing the can really do," Nancy said.

"Oh, well," said Nancy. "I guess there's nothing we really can do about it until morning."

"Yeah, we might as well go to bed," Frank yawned.

"OK. I'll see you guys in the morning," Nancy said.

Frank and Nancy began walking to their rooms. Then Frank stopped and turned around to face Joe.

"Aren't you coming?" He asked.

"I can't. I don't have protective eye wear," Joe said.

"Oh, come ON!" Frank said, grabbing Joe's collar.

--

All through the night, Frank listened to the muffled sounds of crying.

He knew it was Nancy, but he wasn't sure what to do about it.

As Joe snored in the bed beside his, he stared up at the ceiling, thinking.

_'I should go in there. No, I shouldn't. She's in her pajamas! She'll think I'm a creep! Or maybe she'll think I'm a hero and realize her true feelings for me! I should go in there. No, I shouldn't. Yes, I mean no. No, I definatly… should. Or yes; yes, definatly…not. Maybe…'_ A particularly loud snore broke Frank's train of thought.

When he finally couldn't hear anymore sobs, he rolled over and sighed.

It wasn't much longer before Frank Hardy also succumbed to the powerful temptation of sleep.

--

Frank rubbed his eyes as he stumbled out of bed. He walked slowly towards the living room/kitchen. His eyes drifted towards the couch, where a bleary looking Nancy was rubbing her eyes tiredly.

"Morning, Nance," Frank mumbled. Frank scrunched his eyes in confusion when Nancy blushed.

"What?" Frank asked. Nancy averted her eyes quickly and gestured towards Frank.

Frank glanced down. He realized that Nancy was blushing due to the fact that the brunet brother was only dressed in a pair of blue striped boxers.

Frank blushed as well. Fortunately, Joe took that moment to make his entrance.

Unfortunately, he was also clad in just boxers and a t-shirt.

"What?" Joe asked tiredly, noticing their expressions.

"P…pants," Nancy mumbled, embarrassed.

"What's that? You want me to put on pants? Well, I'm insulted," Joe said, mock angry.

"She said the same thing to me," Frank said, also pretending to be insulted.

"Revenge is called for. Do you remember how we get revenge?" Joe asked.

"I do recall some revenge on Vanessa at Christmas. Could you be referring to the same tactic?" Frank asked, stifling a laugh when he noticed Nancy's face.

"What other way would I mean?" Joe asked, a grin forming on his face.

Frank waited until his brother gave him a signal. Joe winked and Frank grinned.

The two brothers quickly tackled Nancy, crushing her flat to the couch. They began to tickle her senseless.

"No! No! STOP IT!" Nancy shrieked. She tried – unsuccessfully—to wriggle away.

"Never!" Joe shouted. The three laughs combined loudly, causing no one to hear a sharp knock on the door.

They also didn't hear the jingle of keys.

The door opened silently to reveal a sad looking Ned who was looking at his feet.

The trio stopped laughing.

"Hey, Nance. I realize that you're mad at me. I just wanted to drop off my-- NANCY!!" Ned exclaimed, finally looking up at the three.

"I can't believe this! And on the couch!" Ned yelled.

Nancy's eye widened as she realized what Ned thought was going on.

"No, we're not…" she started.

"God! They're brothers!" Ned cried.

"Ned, we're not…" she tried.

"Oh, really? You're not? Nance, they're barely dressed!" He exclaimed, pointing towards the silenced brothers who were frozen on top of Nancy.

"Ned, I promise that we weren't doing anything!" Nancy cried, squirming beneath the brothers.

"Well, you sure looked pretty happy when I walked in!" Ned yelled.

"Oh, speaking of which, why are you here?" Nancy asked angrily.

"I'm dropping off some of your stuff!" Ned cried, dropping a cardboard box onto the carpet.

"You should have called," Nancy said quietly.

"You're right. I should have. Then I wouldn't have seen _this_!" Ned cried.

"_This?_ There is no _this_! We're doing nothing! Anyway, it doesn't matter; I'm not your girlfriend anymore!" Nancy exclaimed.

"God, wait until I tell _Heather_ about this!" Ned sneered. Nancy gasped.

"Hey! I'm gonna--," Frank started, but was interrupted by Joe.

"Hey, Frank? I think now would be a good time for pants," Joe said quietly.

Frank nodded slowly, giving Ned his best death stare.

For a moment, everyone was silent, glaring at each other.

The slam of the door interrupted the silence. Everyone turned to look.

Bess stood there, grinning and holding luggage.

"I'm back! Wait, why aren't you happier?"

**A/N: Wow, lots of stuff just happened!**

**I hope it wasn't too confusing, LOL! Especially the Ned conversation. I hope you got what he was thinking; I was kinda vague.**

**Sorry if the beginning was kinda fast, I had a lot to fit in one chapter. I ended up cutting half for the next chapter.**

**I really, really needed to update. Sorry if anyone was waiting!**

**Please, please review!**

**Please?**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I****'m pretty sure I don't own it.**

**A/N: YAY! School's out! That means I have more time work on the story!**

**I'm glad that you guys liked the whole Ned scene. **

**I hope you enjoy this chapter…**

* * *

The only person who actually registered Bess' presence was Joe.

Frank turned to give Ned a deadly look.

Ned was giving Frank a deadly look.

And Nancy had her arms around herself and was biting her lip.

"What's going on?" Bess whispered to Joe.

"I'm not positive, but I think Ned's mad at Nancy for Frank and I not wearing pants," Joe whispered back.

"Oh….yes. Well, it is an interesting fashion choice," Bess said.

The sound of her voice broke the silence in the room, and all hell broke loose.

"I can't believe your cheating on me!" Ned yelled.

"Cheating on YOU?! Ha! Ned, we _broke up_ because _you_ were cheating on _me_!" Nancy screamed back, with tears in her eyes.

"What?!" Bess whispered to Joe.

"Shh!" Joe said quietly, motioning his hands towards the three people in front of him.

"Yeah, speaking of which, I'm gonna kill you for cheating on Nancy!" Frank yelled.

"Oh, you make it sound like you and Nancy have NEVER done ANYTHING behind my back!" Ned said loudly.

"Ned! Stop!" Nancy cried, a couple tears sliding down her face.

"I can't believe I ever loved you!" Ned yelled.

"You? I can't believe _I_ ever loved _you_! God, I'd be better off with Frank!" Nancy said.

Despite their current situation, Frank felt a smile growing on his face.

He knew Nancy had only said his name because he was the one man who could make Ned jealous, but it still meant something to him.

The sound of a _beep _shook Frank out of his thoughts.

Bess came strolling back into the room, carrying a large bowl of popcorn.

Everyone gave her looks.

"What? I had a feeling that this was going to go on for a while, and I didn't want to die of starvation!" Bess said defensively.

"That goes double for me," Joe said, raising a hand to grab some popcorn.

"So, what did I miss?" Bess said, leading Joe over to the couch.

"Oh, Nancy just said that she'd be better off with Frank," Joe explained through a mouth-full of popcorn.

"No!" Bess exclaimed, her eyes bugging out.

"Yes! And that's when…" Joe was cut off by the slamming of a door.

Ned had left, leaving nothing but Nancy's broken heart and a smashed cardboard box behind.

* * *

After two hours of non-stop 'girl talk', Nancy and Bess finally emerged from Nancy's bedroom.

It was clear that Nancy had been crying, for her eyes were red and there was a large damp spot on Bess's shoulder.

Joe nudged his brother.

Frank looked up from where he was at the kitchen table. His heart ached for Nancy.

"Nancy, I'm so sorry," Frank said, getting up to give her a hug.

"It's not your fault. You're not the one that cheated on me," Nancy said, welcoming the hug.

From where he was standing, Joe could see Bess's hands clench into fists.

Apparently, Frank had seen it too, for when he released Nancy, he leaned over to Bess.

"We'll key his car later," he whispered. Bess nodded in agreement.

Joe glanced over. Frank and Bess gave him innocent looks.

Nancy walked over to the kitchen and picked her purse up off the table.

"Do you guys want to go out for lunch?" She asked, rummaging through her bag.

"Sure, but Nancy?" Frank started and Nancy looked up. "Joe and I'll pay for lunch."

Nancy opened her mouth to respond, but Bess cut her off.

"That would be great, right Nancy?" Bess asked sweetly. Nancy smiled in response.

"I know a great little Chinese place around the corner," Bess said and started towards the door.

The group followed.

Nancy opened the door to reveal Ned, face stricken with tears, and fist poised in knocking-position.

"Ned what are you…?" Nancy started.

"I went home and… and… Heather's dead!"

--

Twenty minutes later, all five of them arrived at Ned's apartment.

It was surrounded by police cars and officers, but they managed to slip in unseen.

They followed Ned up to the second floor, apartment 15.

The door was already open, and a chill blew out of the room.

Ned paused when he reached the entrance, but took a deep breath and walked in.

Frank rubbed his hands up and down his arms to regain warmth. Why was it so cold?

Joe walked up to Bess, who had a glove-clad hand covering her mouth. He followed her gaze and gasped.

Several police officers were standing around a large red chair.

'_It's not red, it's blood!' _Joe realized with a shudder.

Bess noticed Frank and Nancy approaching the chair and followed, gripping Joe's arm tightly.

In the chair sat Heather. There was a giant stab wound in the middle of her chest, and blood covering her clothes. Her blonde hair was stained with red.

The scariest part was her forehead. Stapled on it a thousand times over was a picture of Nancy.

In the picture, she was carrying grocery bags and smiling at Frank and Joe.

"The grocery store picture," whispered Frank.

"We've determined that she's been dead for about four hours," said a handsome young police officer that Nancy didn't recognize.

"I shouldn't have left. It's all m-my fault, I shouldn't h-have gone out," stuttered Ned.

"Ned, why don't you get some air?" Nancy asked, touching his arm gently.

Ned nodded his face pale with a slight greenish-tinge and left the frigid apartment.

"Officer, why is it so cold in here?" Joe asked, rubbing his arms.

"We determined that the killer probably turned down the heat," the officer explained.

"Um... why?" Joe asked.

"Probably to preserve the 'effect'," the officer explained with a grimace.

"God, I'm going to be sick," Bess exclaimed, rushing down the hall.

"I wouldn't use the bathroom!" The officer called, too late, it seemed.

Bess came back slowly, her face equally as pale as Ned's.

"Ew," she said quietly, and leaned on Joe.

Frank, Joe and Nancy looked at the officer expectantly.

"There's lots, and lots of blood in there," he explained.

"Oh, so, Officer... um, actually, I don't think we've met," Nancy said.

"Oh, I'm new on the force. I'm Officer Jacobson. You can call me Hal," Officer Jacobson explained.

"Nice to meet you, Hal. I'm Nancy Drew," Nancy said, holding out her hand.

"Ah, Nancy Drew. I've heard a lot about you," he said, giving her a dazzling smile and shaking her outstretched hand.

Nancy blushed.

"I'm Frank Hardy, and this is my brother Joe," Frank said, stepping in.

"Nice to meet you," Hal said.

"Yeah, we've known Nancy, well, forever!" Frank exclaimed, putting an arm around Nancy's shoulder.

"Jealous much?" Joe said quietly, so only Frank could hear.

Frank scowled at his brother.

"Now, I don't mean to be rude, but you four really will have to leave now. We have to complete our investigation," Hal explained.

"Oh, no problem, Officer," Bess said, rushing out of the apartment quickly.

'Nice to meet you," Joe called over his shoulder, rushing out just as fast as Bess.

Frank started to follow, but turned when he realized that Nancy was not beside him.

"Nancy? Come on," Frank said quietly.

Nancy stared at Heather. The dead girl's eyes were open, and a look of horror transfixed on her face.

"Why is it my picture, Frank?" Nancy whispered.

"I… I don't know, Nance. But we'll figure it out," Frank said, leading Nancy out of the apartment.

--

"It's been a long day," Joe yawned, stretching out the word _long_.

"You said it," Bess agreed, resting her head against Joe's shoulder.

The four walked slowly up the stairs to Nancy's apartment.

Nancy, who had been ahead of them, suddenly let out a shriek.

She stared, transfixed at her door.

Protruding out of the entrance to her home, shined a long knife, gleaming red.

Bess' face turned green.

The Hardy's stood motionless.

"Is… is that…?" Bess croaked.

"I think it is," Frank replied.

Nancy, without any warning, took out her key and opened the door quickly.

Joe followed quickly, arriving just in time to catch Nancy as she dropped into a dead faint.

He glanced up at what had caused his friend so much fright, and almost toppled over himself.

Written on the white wall, in dripping red letters were the words:

_One down!_

**A/N: Yuck! I was having a really hard time with this chapter!**

**I'm not the biggest fan of blood.**

**I don't really like this chapter. Well, I guess it's OK, but certainly not my best...**

**Please, please tell me what YOU think, though!**

**(And by that I don't mean your opinion of blood)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew. Or Bess. Or Ned. **

**A/N: A (late) happy Canada Day and (early) Fourth of July. **

**Gah, sorry it took so long to update. I was having one of those weeks and everything comes out HORRIBLE.**

**Hopefully this isn't…**

Frank and Bess came flying into the room.

"Whoa," Frank said quietly.

Bess' face turned an unsightly green and she rushed down the hall into the bathroom. Several loud retching sounds followed.

Frank bent down beside his brother.

"Nancy? Nancy, wake up…" he tried quietly.

Nancy moaned and opened her eyes a quarter of the way.

"Come on, Nance. Open your eyes the rest of the way…" coaxed Joe, shaking her in his arms.

Nancy opened her eyes all the way and blinked.

"Hi," she said, smiling weakly, shaking her head.

"Hi," Frank whispered back. He grabbed hold of her hand and helped Joe lift her to her feet.

Both Frank and Nancy paused a second before releasing each others hands. Then they looked away and blushed.

"Yuck. Who's this… horrible," Joe said, for lack of a better word.

"It is…isn't it?" Nancy tried, avoiding looking at the wall.

"Blood? Yeah, I'm pretty sure it is," Frank answered with a grimace.

"You don't think it's…" Nancy started again.

"Heather's? Yeah, it's very probable," Joe stated.

The sound of rushing water and a door opening drew their attention towards the bathroom.

Bess emerged, pale and sweaty. She held one hand over her eyes.

"Um, guys? I'm done throwing up, so I'm gonna call the police now," she said.

"That sounds good Bess," Nancy said, walking up to Bess and turning her in the direction of the phone.

Nancy walked back over to Frank and Joe.

"Should we look around before the police come?" Nancy asked.

"No, I think we should avoid tampering with any potential evidence," Frank said.

"I agree," Joe said.

Bess walked back into the room.

"The police will be here shortly," she said, her hands still covering her eyes.

"Thanks, Bess. Maybe you'd like to wait in your room until they arrive?" Nancy asked, smiling when Bess's shoulders sagged in relief.

"Thanks, Nan," Bess said before retreating down the hall.

Moments later a sharp knock at the door announced the arrival of the police.

--

"So, Officer Stevens, does the blood sample match?" Nancy asked an hour later.

The elderly officer only nodded. Nancy felt sick to her stomach. Who was really sick enough to kill someone, and then try to redecorate someone's apartment with the blood?

Nancy was still lost in her thoughts when someone tapped her on the shoulder.

She turned, thinking it was probably Frank, but instead came face to face with Hal.

"Oh, Hal. Hi," she said, plastering a smile to her face. Was she disappointed?

"You know, you don't have to smile. Someone broke into your apartment, somehow without forced entry and painted on your wall with blood. It doesn't exactly give you the same feeling rainbows and unicorns do," he said, placing a hand on her shoulder.

Nancy laughed weakly.

Hal suddenly looked around and leaned in.

"Look, I thought you might want to take a look at the picture that was at the crime scene," he said, handing her an envelope.

He must have seen the horror registered on her face, because he leaned over to speak again.

"No, no! It's not the real thing; it's just a copy!" He exclaimed quietly.

Nancy took the envelope with a grateful smile.

"And look, if there's anything I can do for you, or you just wanna talk, just give me a call. My number's on the outside of the envelope," Hal said, giving Nancy a wink and a smile. Nancy blushed.

Across the room, Frank's face was tinted a similar hue. Only his face was red with rage.

"Ooh," Joe said quietly. "Isn't flirting mercilessly with Nancy _your _job?"

Frank socked his brother in the shoulder.

"OW! Have you forgotten the bruises?" Joe grumbled.

Frank ignored his brother and walked over to where Nancy and Hal were talking quietly.

"Hey, Hal! What's up?" Frank exclaimed, pasting a bright smile on his face. He really hated this guy.

"Nothing much; just investigating a murder and a break-in. What about you?" Hal smiled.

Frank just smiled in return. Hal smiled back.

Nancy stood nervously between them. She had never seen such fake smiles in her entire life.

Across the room, Joe was thinking the same thing. He looked at them, amused, when Bess appeared at his side, once again, hiding behind her hands.

"Bess, they washed the blood off," Joe said, his eyes never leaving the trio.

"Oh, thank God!" Bess exclaimed, uncovering her eyes. "What are they doing?"

"Staring contest? Smile showdown? Who knows?" He exclaimed, transfixed.

The two blonds stared at the spectacle, while Nancy stared from a much closer view, growing increasingly uncomfortable.

She honestly had no clue why they were acting like this.

Hal and Frank continued smiling, almost trying to stare each other down. They stared all through the police packing up, and Officer Stevens telling Hal that it was time to leave.

"Officer Jacobson? Jacobson? HAL! Get your ass in your car or you can consider yourself officially fired!" Stevens declared.

Hal broke his gaze away from Frank. Inwardly, Frank smiled triumphantly.

"Coming, Officer," Hal said, giving Nancy one last smile.

"Bye, Hal!" Frank called. Nancy shot him a glare. He glared right back, surprising Nancy. They kept eye-contact, not even blinking. Nancy was so focused; she dropped the envelope she had been holding onto.

Joe walked over and picked it up.

"I thought we just went through this with Hal and Frank," Joe said to Bess.

The two watched Nancy and Frank, who were so wrapped up in each others eyes, that they probably didn't even notice Bess and Joe.

"They really would make a good couple," Bess sighed.

"Frank thinks so, too," Joe remarked. Bess shot him a confused look.

"What about…?" Bess started.

"Callie? She and Frank have been done for over a year now," Joe explained.

"Huh," Bess said.

Joe, not even looking away from Nancy and Frank, who were now blushing and avoiding eye contact all together, slid a finger under the flap of the envelope and pulled out what was inside.

Inside was a black and white copy of the supermarket picture.

'_Yep,_' thought Joe, _'There's Frank, Nancy and me… wait….'_

He blinked and looked again. It was true!

Frank was closest to the camera, but Joe should've been. The camera guy was closer to Joe that day.

So…so, what did that mean? That there was two perverts with cameras that day?

Joe closed his eyes and tried to remember.

_OK, there's the guy with the camera. OK and there's the camera flash. Wait a sec, is the cap on?_

Joe focused, but Bess had gone over and started to talk to Frank and Nancy, rather loudly.

Bess, Frank and Nancy turned around when they heard Joe gasp.

Joe walked over.

"Guys, look at this!" Joe said excitedly.

"It's the supermarket picture, Joe," Frank said simply.

"Yeah, but look! Frank's the closest to the camera! The guy I saw was closer to me! And if you look really carefully, just past me you can see the guy! The other guy, I mean. And the cap's on the camera lens! What if the guy who I saw was a diversion? What if I someone else took the picture while we were distracted with the other guy, and so he had time to hide in the bushes!" Joe finished, taking a deep breath. The others looked at Joe.

"Joe, how did you figure all that out?" Bess asked.

Joe just shrugged in response.

"So, we're not just looking for one guy with a camera, we're looking for two?" Nancy asked.

"It would seem so," Frank said, yawning.

Frank's yawn set off a chain reaction. Everyone started yawning.

"I guess it'd be best if we all went to bed," Joe said.

Everyone nodded and headed off to their rooms.

Just as Joe and Frank were settling into bed, someone knocked on the door.

Bess came in, a laundry basket tucked under her arm.

"I'm doing a load of laundry before I go to sleep; do you guys have anything you want to be cleaned?" She asked, using her free hand to brush a strand of blonde hair out of her mouth.

"Uh, yeah. Hold on," Joe said, rummaging through a pile on the floor until he came up with the outfits he had worn the previous days.

Frank held up a similar pile.

"Frank, are you sure you want to wash that shirt?" Joe asked, mock serious. Frank realized that his brother was referring to the shirt he had been wearing when they first arrived, the one that Nancy had been crying into.

Frank flushed and Joe grinned. He handed the pile to a very confused Bess, and gave Joe a scowl.

"Um, goodnight, guys," Bess said, still confused and walking out the door.

"'Night, Bess," Frank and Joe chorused before finally settling into sleep.

--

_Nancy turned around. Where was she? _

_"Hello?" she called. "Is anyone here?" _

_She walked around for a while, but everything seemed to be an endless vortex of white light._

_She began to panic. Where was everyone?_

_"Hello? Ned? Where are you Ned?" She said before finally sitting down._

_She brought her knees up to her chest, hugging them tightly. _

_She looked around again._

_"Is anyone here? Ned? Where are you? I'm lost," she called, her voice breaking._

_She put her head down to her knees and began crying._

_"Nancy…" she heard someone call out to her. She lifted her head and wiped her eyes._

_"Ned?" She said. "Is that you?" _

_"Nancy…" the voice called out from behind her._

_She stood up and turned around. She gasped when she saw who it was._

_"Frank… you saved me!" She exclaimed happily._

_"I'll always be here to save you, Nancy," he said lovingly. _

_She smiled. She ran up to him and leapt into his arms._

_"Thank you," she said, burying her face into his shoulder._

_"Anytime," he said, turning her head so that she was facing him. _

_Nancy looked up into his brown eyes, and felt happier than she ever had before._

_Slowly, they got closer and closer until they finally…_

RIIING! RIIING! RIIING!!

Nancy groaned and turned over to look at her alarm clock.

It was 2:30 a.m. Who was calling her at that time?

Nancy could hear Frank moaning as he woke up. Suddenly she remembered her dream, and her cheeks turned scarlet.

RIIING!

"Hello?" Nancy asked groggily.

A serious voice broke her from her trance.

"There has been another murder."

**A/N: I'm almost done Chapter 7, so there might be another update VERY soon! Like, today!**

**Reviews?**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: Didn't you read the other chapters? I don't own them…**

**A/N: I have this up the same day as Chapter 6! I was just so excited about this chapter (it has some of the best moments-- well, I think….)!**

**Enjoy!**

Half an hour later, Nancy, the Hardy's, and a pajama clad Bess arrived at 440 Harvest Crest.

Police cars lined the street, illuminated by the moon, full and bright, with dark clouds snaking over it like wisps of smoke.

A chill wafted around the bungalow.

Rubbing her hands together, Nancy walked towards the open door. Frank followed, with Joe slightly behind, as he and Bess were supporting each other as they walked with their eyes half closed.

Frank caught up with Nancy, and they went through the door together.

Nancy looked around, trying to spot either Officer Stevens or Officer Jacobson.

"Nancy!" She heard a voice from behind. She turned to find Hal walking towards her with a grim expression.

"Hal, what happened?" Nancy asked.

"Well, we got report about an hour ago that there was a murder, here. Chief told me to call you…" Hal said, trailing off as the Chief himself walked up.

"Nancy! Wonderful, now we can start!" Chief Todd said in his booming voice.

"Start…?" Frank said.

"Now, Nancy. Who's this? Was he at your place when Hal called?" The Chief said with a wink.

Nancy's eyes widened and she felt her cheeks grow warm, despite the chilly atmosphere.

Behind her, Frank was giving off a similar reaction.

"No! Well, yes, but he and his brother are here visiting. This Frank Hardy and the blond snoring over there is Joe. I also brought my friend Bess," Nancy explained.

"I don't know how I feel about bringing to innocent people into the case, Nancy…" Todd said, running a hand through his black hair.

"Oh, no, Chief. Frank and Joe are detectives, too. We solved many cases together when we were younger," Nancy said, and Frank nodded.

"Oh, well… alright," the Chief said, not looking very convinced.

"Hi," Frank said, stepping up to shake the Chief's hand. "I'm Fenton Hardy's son, Frank." The Chief looked confused.

"Fenton Hardy? Never heard of him," Todd said.

Frank stared, amazed.

"What's wrong?" Nancy asked.

"That's not the reaction I usually get," Frank said. "Usually, everyone knows Dad."

"Well, the Chief can be a little, um, 'confused' at times," Nancy said, gesturing towards Todd, who was shaking awake Joe.

"Now I say, are you Fenton Hardy's son? You look just like him!" the Chief asked.

Joe mumbled something incoherent, and nodded his head.

Nancy stifled a laugh at Frank's expression.

"What? Joe looks NOTHING like Dad!" Frank sputtered.

Nancy patted his shoulder.

"Let it go," she said, shaking her head.

"So, Nancy. I assume you know that I didn't come here just for a chat," the Chief started, looking serious.

"Chief?" Nancy interrupted gently. "This isn't my apartment."

"Oh, what? Ah, right," the Chief said, looking truly baffled. "Well, it is very late."

"You mean early," Frank corrected.

"Don't sass me, boy!" the Chief snapped. Frank took a step back out of surprise.

"You were saying, Todd?" Nancy prodded.

"Oh, yes. Well, it seems Molly Smith has been murdered. Same way as before, stab to the chest, picture stapled to forehead. It was reported by her long-time boyfriend Jeff Masters," the Chief said, pointing out the horror-stricken young man sitting beside Joe.

"Where is she?" Frank asked.

"Bedroom," the Chief replied, pointing down the hall.

Nancy and Frank exchanged glances before following the Chief's finger.

Lying on top of the bed was a young girl. Her white t-shirt was stained, and her long, waist length red-hair was fanning out around her face.

Nancy's breath caught in her throat. Looking at the bloody picture stapled to Molly's forehead, she saw that Joe was right. The picture had been taken from the opposite direction. She was just too preoccupied last night to notice it.

"It's a shame," came a voice from behind Nancy and Frank. Both of them turned.

Hal was standing there, shaking his head.

"I know," Nancy murmured. Frank nodded in agreement.

Suddenly, Joe's head popped into the doorway.

"Nance? Frank? I need to talk to you guys for a minute," he said before disappearing through the door again.

Nancy and Frank excused themselves and proceeded outside to where Joe and Bess were standing.

"What's up?" Nancy asked.

"I have no idea," Bess said, shaking her head tiredly. Her long blond hair spilled out in waves over a navy blue vest that was covering a similar colored long sleeved shirt. Her legs were covered by silver and blue plaid pajama bottoms. She had her arms crossed, and she was shaking slightly.

Joe was wearing a similar outfit, pajama pants and a hooded-sweatshirt, but he didn't seem cold at all. In fact, his face looked almost red.

"It's that Jeff guy. You know, the dead girl's boyfriend," Joe started.

"Joe! Don't call her that!" Frank scolded.

"Whatever! Well, after you two left, I heard him talking on his cell-phone. He was talking to somebody, telling them he was working late. I mean, come on. Working late? It's three in the morning, who works that late?" Joe said in a huff.

"Is that why you dragged us out here? Seriously?" Nancy asked angrily.

"No! Well, I guess they called him on that, since he said, 'OK, OK! I'm at Molly's place. Yeah, well I guess that's taken care of. Yes, I'll be there tomorrow. I know! 440 Peach Street. Uh-huh, 8 o'clock, I'll be there,' and then he hung up," Joe finished, taking in a deep breath.

"Really? Are you sure that's what he said?" Bess asked in surprise.

"Positive. I think we should go tomorrow. To 440 Peach, I mean," he said.

"I agree," said Nancy. Frank and Bess both nodded their agreement as well.

"Except, there's one thing. Right when he hung up, Bess came up and he saw us. We can't go, or he'll recognize us and get suspicious," Joe said.

"So what? It's just me and Frank?" Nancy asked.

"Looks like it," Joe said with a grimace. When Nancy turned away, he shot his brother a wink, which Frank decided to ignore.

"Well, I guess we should get some sleep before then," Nancy said, leading the way towards the car, with Frank right behind her.

As soon as she was sure they were out of earshot, Bess smacked Joe's arm.

"You fiend! He didn't see us! I came up right after he walked away!" Bess accused.

"Well, maybe I stretched the truth a teensy-bit!" Joe grinned. Bess smiled, too and the two walked arm-in-arm towards the car.

They grinned until they saw Nancy and Frank's faces.

Nancy pointed to the steering wheel. Pined there was a note that read:

_More to come!_

But that wasn't what was so frightening.

It was the fact all the seats were drenched in blood.

Joe groaned as Bess clamped a hand over her mouth.

"Chief…?" He yelled out, walking back in the direction of the house.

--

It was close to five o'clock in the morning when the police car finally drove them back to Nancy and Bess' apartment. The group walked tiredly up the stairs (the elevator was broken) and barely made it into the apartment.

"Ugh, I'm so tired I think I'm going to dream of sleeping!" Bess grumbled.

"I know what you mean," Nancy said, plopping down on the couch.

They all made their ways towards their bedrooms. Frank paused at the doorway to the pink room. He walked back to living room/kitchen. Nancy was still spread out on the couch.

"Nance? Aren't you going to bed?" Frank asked.

Nancy sat up and shook her head, "I need to think for a little bit."

"And you can't think in your own room?" Frank smiled.

"Well, I can. It's just, um; I don't think my legs will make it!" Nancy answered honestly.

Frank laughed and walked over. He scooped Nancy up in his arms and started to carry her towards her room.

"Oh, you see? This is very useful!" Nancy yawned. Frank laughed quietly and put her down on her bed gently.

"Thank you," Nancy whispered, turning over to go to sleep.

"Anytime," Frank said gently, backing out of her room.

Before the door even closed, she was already fast asleep.

--

The next night, at 7:30 sharp, Nancy and Frank sat in her car outside 440 Peach Street. It was a large building, without many windows. It was brightly lit, but there was no sign.

A large man with a clipboard stood outside the door.

"OK, Frank, Nancy. Attach these microphones somewhere so that Bess and I'll be able to here you," Joe said, handing over to tiny microphones and earpieces.

"Joe, when did you finds the time to get all this?" Nancy asked.

"I packed it," Joe said with a shrug. Frank rolled his eyes.

"Oh! Oh, guys! Isn't that him?" Bess said, pointing her finger towards the direction of the building. They turned to look.

Indeed it was. Jeff Masters was there, talking to the bouncer (?) , who let him in right away.

"I guess that's our cue," Frank said, taking a deep breath and getting out of the car.

Nancy followed, touching her ear. Joe was saying something to Bess, into the microphone by accident.

"Joe! We can hear you!" Frank whispered harshly.

"Oops, sorry," Joe said back.

They approached slowly.

"Sorry, guys. It's married couples only tonight," the bouncer grumbled.

Nancy's mind boggled. If it was married couples only, then how did Jeff get in?

Frank felt disappointment cross his face. He was about to turn away when he heard Nancy begin to speak.

"What makes you think that we're not married?" She asked sweetly, shoving her hands in her pockets.

"Show me proof," the bouncer said, glancing in the direction on Nancy's hands.

Nancy gave a radiant smile before withdrawing her left hand from her pocket, the ring finger adorned with a sparking wedding band.

Frank's eyes widened at the ring. It was the wedding ring Nancy had worn when they were undercover in Egypt!

The bouncer leaned in to study the ring more carefully.

Frank glanced at Nancy face. He could see nervousness in her eyes as the bouncer examined her hand.

"I still don't buy it," the bouncer grumbled. "You two don't look like you're a couple."

Frank's face visibly fell. Nancy's face clouded in disappointment.

"If you two are really married, prove it. Let's see ya kiss," the bouncer smirked.

Nancy gave Frank a nervous side-long glance. She was surprised to see Frank looking confident.

"You don't mind, do ya?" The bouncer grinned.

"Why would I mind? You're just giving me an excuse to kiss the love of my life," Frank smiled, only partially acting.

Nancy was sure her face registered shock, but apparently the bouncer didn't notice.

Taking a deep breath, Nancy turned to face Frank.

"Frank? Nancy, what did he say? Are you in?" Both of them could hear Joe's voice through the earpiece, but neither really acknowledged it.

Slowly, both sleuths leaned in.

Nancy saw it coming, but she was still shocked at the feeling of Frank's soft lips on hers.

Both of them felt sparks and emotion like never before. They deepened the kiss, really getting into it.

The bouncer's gruff voice cut through the moment.

"Yeah, yeah. I get it. Now get in the room or go find your own," he said, pulling aside the red cord.

They both pulled apart, blushing.

"Ah-hem. Was that interference on the line, or were you two just sucking faces?" Joe asked through the device.

Neither one bothered to answer as they entered the club.

--

As soon as they stepped inside the brightly lit room, they could tell that it wasn't at all shady.

Couples sat in bean-bag chairs that were arranged in a circle. Nancy and Frank took two that were the closest to the door.

Nancy scanned the room, immediately finding Jeff. He was seated in a chair next to a blonde woman, who was sitting with her hands crossed in her lap.

"OK, everyone!" Said a loud, high pitch voice. Nancy and Frank could hear Joe snickering.

"Are you on a game show?" He laughed. They didn't answer.

"Well, everyone, welcome to marriage counseling!" Said a large man sitting in a real chair. His voice was very high pitch, sending Joe and Bess on a laughing riot.

"Now before we start, you all need to know, that just because you are in marriage counseling, doesn't mean you don't love each other any more. It just means you've hit a bump on the road of your marriage. But by the end of tonight, I promise that you'll be over the bump, and riding into the sunset!" The man exclaimed flinging his arms out.

Joe and Bess, who had calmed down, were sent back into their laughing fit.

"Now, I'm Jules and I'll be your driver through-out this journey!" said the large man. "OK, starting over here, what's your name and what your problem?" Jules pointed towards the blonde woman the Jeff was with.

"Oh, hi. I'm Anna. This is my husband Jeff," she paused when the group said hi to them.

"Oh, yes, hi. Well, I thought our marriage was just fine, until I found out that Jeff here had a girlfriend on the side," she finished angrily, crossing her arms.

Frank reached up to scratch his nose, effectively covering his mouth.

"Joe? Did you hear that?" He whispered.

"Yep," said Joe's voice.

The group continued to go around the circle, until it reached Nancy.

"Oh, me?" She asked nervously. Jules nodded encouragingly. "Well, hi. My name's Valerie, but you can call me Val. This is my husband, uh, John. We've been married for three months…"

"What? Three months and you're already having problems?" Asked a large man named Ryan.

"Well, no. You see, our marriage life coach said it would be good for our marriage if we went to a counseling to find out other people's problems, and work through them before we actually have a problem like that," Nancy finished enthusiastically, adding a soft southern drawl to her voice.

Frank stared in awe. She had thought of that cover story in less than five seconds!

"I'm sorry, but did you say 'marriage life coach'? Asked Ryan's wife, Bev.

Frank nodded. "He's very exclusive. And he thought of this program himself! Everyone who's tried it had a successful marriage!" The group thought about it, but nodded, finding it probable.

Frank sighed in relief. He could hear Joe laughing over the ear piece, but ignored it again. It was going to be a long night.

--

People began to trickle out of 440 Peach, but most of them stopped to talk to Frank and Nancy.

"Don't worry, dear. It's going to get worse eventually," one lady told Nancy, patting her on the shoulder.

"…and don't let her say no! If you want it, just go for it!" Said a scrawny man with a ponytail to Frank. Frank shot Nancy a pleading look.

Nancy walked over.

"Come on, Johnny-bear. If we don't get home soon, we'll oversleep, and miss the sunrise!" Nancy said, whining slightly.

Frank looked at the man and shrugged, letting Nancy lead him away.

As soon as they were out of earshot, they both burst in laughter. The whole thing was hilarious!

When they saw them approach, Bess and Joe got out of the car.

"He has a wife?!" Bess said loudly.

"Apparently, and that wife, she would have good motive for killing, no?" Joe asked.

"It's plausible," Nancy said. "Killing her husband's girlfriend out of jealousy? Yeah, that makes sense, but what about Heather?"

"I don't know, practice?" Joe said. Bess grimaced.

"Well, let's think about it at home, I don't want to discuss it on an open street," Frank said, walking towards the car door.

"Right-y-o, Johnny-bear," Bess said, climbing in the back. Frank flushed.

"So, Nance--," Joe started.

"Ah-ah, Val," Nancy said jokingly. Suddenly, Joe looked away, not even bothering to finish his sentence. Frank saw the look and recognized it immediately.

He leaned over to where Nancy was, behind the wheel.

"Uh, Nance? Right before Joe's girlfriend Iola died, Joe was flirting with a girl named Val, and Iola noticed. He never had a chance to apologize. I don't think he's ever forgiven himself about that," he explained quietly so that he wouldn't hear.

Nancy gasped, her eyes filling with tears.

As soon as they arrived back, Nancy jumped out of the car, and ran around the car to hug Joe.

"Joe! I'm so sorry! I didn't know, if I did, I never would have said it!" She whispered.

"It's OK, Nance. How would you know?" He said, hugging back.

Nancy pulled back, smiling at him weakly.

They walked side-by-side up to Nancy's door.

She was about to open it, when she heard a thump.

Someone was inside!

* * *

**A/N: Yeah, Chief Todd has lost a couple marbles... if you catch my drift...**

**And OK, maybe Jules did, too...**

**8)**

**Reviews?**

.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:**** I own nothing.**

**A/N: OK, I hope you like that last chapter! I hope you like this one, too!**

**I love your feedback!  
**

Nancy brought her finger up to her lips in a hushing motion. Joe nodded his head.

Frank and Bess came up beside them, keeping silent as Nancy hushed them too.

Bess' eyes grew wide as she heard another thump in the apartment.

Nancy turned the knob slowly, not surprised to find it unlocked.

Frank and Joe nodded at her, ready to pounce the second she opened the door.

Quickly, Nancy pushed the door open and rushed in.

She immediately saw the intruder, and held out her arms to stop Frank and Joe.

Sitting in an arm chair, his arms crossed, was Carson Drew.

"Dad?" Nancy asked, walking closer.

"Nancy Drew!" Carson exclaimed, not noticing the Hardy's and Bess behind her. "What are--," Carson started, standing up. "…men's underwear doing with your laundry?" He said, gesturing toward a blue laundry basket. The basket was filled with clean clothes. Nancy sighed.

"I told you, Dad. Frank and Joe are visiting. Bess did laundry last night," Nancy explained.

"Oh, right. Well, I guess that makes sense. Sorry, dear," Carson said with a sheepish grin.

"It's alright, Dad. Now, what are you doing here?" Nancy asked, reaching in to give her father a hug.

"Can't I visit my daughter when I please?" Carson asked, hugging Nancy back.

"Well, yes, but, how did you get in?" Nancy asked, pulling away from Carson.

"The door was open. Which reminds me, do you have any idea how irresponsible it is going out and leaving your door unlocked?" Carson lectured. Nancy's eyes widened.

Bess came up beside Nancy and leaned towards her.

"I double-checked that you locked up before we left; it was all good!" Bess exclaimed quietly. Nancy nodded absent-mindedly before walking down the hall.

She peered into Bess' bedroom. Empty. She did the same thing in Frank and Joe's room. Her search had the same results.

Finally, she took a breath and pushed open the door to her room. For a second, all she saw was scattered papers, and her clothes flung out of her closet. Then, the next second, she heard a thump, and everything went black.

--

Frank looked after Nancy, confused as to why she had just suddenly left the room.

He was about to go after her when a loud thump emitted from down the hall, and a figure dressed in black came barreling from the direction of the noise.

Without even thinking, both Frank and Joe sprinted after him/her. They raced side by side down the hall, towards the stairs.

All it took was hearing Bess scream 'Nancy!' to motivate Frank to move faster.

He flew past Joe, jumping down two steps at a time. He heard a door swing and knew the intruder was exiting the building. Seconds later, he too pushed out onto the street.

He saw the figure in black rounding the corner and started after him but stopped at the sound of Joe's voice.

"We'll never catch up now," Joe huffed, bending over. "Come on!"

Frank agreed hesitantly, and began walking towards the building.

They slowly walked back up towards Nancy's apartment, and went through the open apartment door.

They continued down the hall to where Bess and Carson were huddled around Nancy. She was sitting up, but looked dizzy and sick.

Wordlessly, Bess handed Joe a pink Post-it. Joe sighed.

"Do you think he got some sort of discount on pink Post-it's?" Joe asked, scanning over the note. It was written in the same neat red printing as before, but the message was slightly longer:

_Nancy Drew and Hardy brothers: Yes, I know Frank and Joe are there. Don't be surprised. I see all and know all. You may have gotten away with only a bruise this time Nancy, but I promise, next time, it'll be much more…permanent._

"Well, isn't he modest?" Bess said sarcastically as she scanned over the note.

Joe snorted.

"How can you all be taking this so lightly? Nancy basically just been told she's going to die!" Carson exclaimed.

"We're sorry, Mr. Drew. We do know how serious this is. It just seems like this guy hasn't written very many threats before," Frank explained. Joe nodded and walked into the kitchen.

"It's OK, Frank. And please, call me Carson," Carson said kindly.

"Oh, well…" Frank started.

"Hey, Carson! Would you like some coffee?" Joe asked from the kitchen, effectively cutting off Frank.

"Yes, thank you. See, Joe listens," Carson said.

"No, Joe mocks," Bess said, heading towards the kitchen herself.

Carson followed Bess, leaving Frank alone with Nancy, who was still sitting on the floor, dazed.

"Hey, are you OK?" Frank asked, crouching beside Nancy.

"Y-yeah, I think so," Nancy said, shaking her head slightly. Frank brushed some hair out of her eyes and winced.

"Yikes. You've got a heck of a bruise, Drew," he said lightly.

"Well, I'm lucky it's so becoming, right?" Nancy joked, flashing Frank a smile.

Frank laughed.

"Most defiantly!" he said, tucking the strand of hair behind her ear.

Nancy laughed.

Frank looked at Nancy.

Nancy looked at Frank.

Without even realizing it, they were both simultaneously leaning in.

When their lips met in the middle, it came as a surprise to both. A pleasant surprise, though.

It was a slow, soft kiss. Both of there minds went completely blank, until a voice interrupted.

"Hey, I didn't ask if you wanted…oops!" Bess squeaked, rushing out of the hall.

Nancy looked at Frank, her face red.

Frank looked at Nancy, his face a similar shade.

And then, at the exact same second, they both got up and headed towards the kitchen.

--

Later that night, as Frank was getting ready for bed, he found Joe staring at him.

"See something you like?" Frank asked sarcastically, pulling on a white t-shirt.

"What? Oh," Joe said, snapping out of his thoughts.

"What are you thinking about?" Frank asked, sitting down on his bed. Joe grinned.

"So… you kissed Nancy!" Joe exclaimed. "Twice!" he added after thinking for a moment.

"So?" Frank asked, feeling his face grow warm.

"Well, the fact that you're madly in love with her comes to mind!" Joe cried.

"Um…" Frank mumbled.

"Yeah, 'um' is right! Frank, if you like her that much, just tell her!" Joe exclaimed.

"Gee, thanks for that advice," Frank said sarcastically. "I haven't heard that one before.

"Well, I should know. I am God's gift to women," Joe deadpanned. Frank ignored the comment.

"Well, you know what, Joe? I am in love with Nancy. All those years I couldn't have her, that we were 'just friends' killed me! I even love her then, even when I was with Callie! I loved Nancy from the moment she first said hi to me! But I can't do anything about it! I'm such a wimp! I mean, this is the girl I'm sure I want to marry but I can't even--," Frank ranted, but stopped when Joe held up a hand.

"Frank, did you just say the 'm' word?" Joe asked slowly. Frank paused and his eyes widened.

"Oh, my God! I'm a freak! I'm not even dating her, but I'm talking about marrying her? What is wrong with me?" Frank asked.

"Nothing's wrong with you. You like a girl. Although, it is a little bit girlish to be planning your wedding," Joe teased.

"Shut up!" Frank said, lying down.

"No, seriously though. Are you going to have roses or lilies?" Joe laughed.

"Goodnight, Joe!" Frank said, putting the pillow over his ears.

"Chicken or steak? Come on, Frank! I need to know these things! Oh, oh! Am I your best man?" Joe teased, before finally turning over and falling asleep.

Frank lay awake for awhile before finally falling asleep.

His last thought before he drifted into his dreams was:

_'Chicken. Defiantly chicken.' _

--

Across the hall in Bess' room, Nancy and Bess were sitting onto of her bed.

"I still can't believe it! You kissed Frank!" Bess squealed excitedly.

Nancy nodded her head, holding a pillow close to her chest. Her heart was still pounding at the speed of light, and she was afraid Bess would hear it, even though she knew that she couldn't.

"Do you love him?" Bess asked eagerly.

"I-I don't know! I defiantly like him, but I'm not sure about love," Nancy admitted.

"You can tell me, you know," Bess said comfortingly.

"I know I can. I trust you and George more than anything. The only person I would trust more is…" Nancy started, realizing what her answer was.

"Frank?" Bess asked. Nancy nodded. Bess smiled.

"You know, you and Frank would make a great couple," Bess said.

Nancy grinned.

"And what was with having the wedding ring from Egypt in your pocket?" Bess smiled when Nancy flushed.

"I-I keep it on me for good luck," Nancy admitted with a shy grin.

Suddenly, Bess let out a huge yawn.

"Sorry, Nan. I guess it's time to hit the hay," Bess said, rubbing her eyes.

Nancy nodded and left the room.

Back inside her room, she groaned at the mess. She piled up the clothes and paper in neat rows, promising to tidy up in the morning.

She was just about to settle into bed when something caught her eye.

She got up and went over to the closet. Right in front of the doors was a business card that read _Marilynn Jones: 487 Wickword Crest. _

Nancy's eyes widened. She didn't recognize it, so could that mean the intruder dropped it?

She placed it on her nightstand and got back into bed.

Tomorrow, she would be at 487 Wickword Crest.

--

Making sure that Nancy was safe and sound in her room, Bess quietly slipped out of her room and tip-toed into the living room.

She took a seat at the couch and waited. Moments later, a creek signaled that someone was finally coming.

"Hey," she said, standing up.

"Hi," he whispered back. "Sorry that took so long, Frank wouldn't fall asleep!"

"Oh, it's no problem. So, what did you want?" Bess asked.

"Well, it's about Frank and Nancy," Joe started.

"What about them?" Bess asked, sitting down.

"We need to set them up," he said simply. "Frank's miserable without Nancy."

"I agree. And I know for a fact that Nancy likes him. I asked, just like we agreed," Bess said, scooting over to make room for Joe.

"Yeah, well, I asked, but we ended up talking about weddings," Joe grumbled.

Bess' eyebrows shot up.

"Yeah, don't ask," Joe said, shaking his head.

"OK. So, how are we going to get them together?" Bess asked.

"I have no idea. Just make sure they're alone as much as possible, I guess," Joe responded. Bess nodded her head in agreement.

They finalized a plan for tomorrow.

And that was that: Frank and Nancy were going to be together.

**A/N: Well? Sorry it took so long for me to update. I hurt my thumb. And I know that sounds like an excuse, but it's not!**

**Reviews?**

.


	9. Chapter 9

**

* * *

**

Reviews?

**Disclaimer: I don't own them. Sad, huh? I'm also sad to say I don't own the Wizard of Oz. **

**A/N: I'm so sorry that I haven't updated! I went out of town this weekend and we didn't have a computer.**

**I feel really bad.**

* * *

"OK, I don't know about you guys, but I have not enjoyed this vacation enough," Joe declared over breakfast the next morning.

"Well, what did you have in mind?" Bess asked, swallowing a large bite of toast.

"I was thinking, since it's snowing, we could just rent a movie," Joe said.

"That's it? Seriously?" Bess asked.

"Well, yeah. We could make popcorn; curl up on the couch…" Joe said, hoping Bess caught what he was suggesting.

It seemed that she did, for she began to nod her head excitedly.

"Oh, yeah! I'll do anything for popcorn!" Bess exclaimed, looking towards Frank and Nancy for approval.

"That's sounds good to me. What about you, Frank?" Nancy asked, avoiding eye contact with him.

The only thought that was going through Nancy's mind at the moment was that no matter what happened she still had to check out 487 Wickword Crest.

"That sounds fine," Frank responded, also very interested in his plate.

Joe and Bess looked each other and stifled their laughter.

"Ew! Frank, what's on your face?" Bess shrieked suddenly, but Joe could see laughter in her eyes.

Frank's hands flew to his face and Nancy glanced up..

Their eyes met, and they both looked away, embarrassed.

"Oh, sorry. It was nothing," Bess said.

They both looked back at their plates, while Bess and Joe shook with silent laughter.

--

"OK, people. Spread out!" Joe announced an hour later.

After the longest, quietest breakfast of his life, the group had finally piled into Nancy's car and drove towards the nearest video store.

Slowly, the four began to spread out.

Nancy was walking down the A section when she felt a sharp tap to her shoulder.

She turned slowly, only to come face to face with Frank.

"We need to talk," he said, pulling Nancy by the arm towards the Z section, the only row that was empty and never had anyone in it. Nancy struggled under his grip.

"Ow, Frank! You're hurting me!" Nancy exclaimed.

"Sorry," Frank said, his face immediately softening. He loosened his grip on her arm.

"What do you want, Frank?" Nancy snapped, rubbing her arm. She winced as she heard the sharpness in her own voice.

"I-I wanted to talk about last night. When, when we-we kissed," Frank stuttered.

"What about it?" Nancy asked softly.

"Well, I don't know if it meant something to you, but, well, it did to me," Frank admitted nervously. He winced slightly when Nancy's eyes widened.

"Frank--," Nancy started, but Frank held up a hand to stop her.

"No, let me talk, Nan," Frank said. "Nancy, I-I think I might be--,"

Frank stopped when he heard a shrill voice from behind him.

"Oh, my God!" the voice shrieked.

Frank turned to see a familiar face behind him.

"Val! John! I can't believe you guys are here!" Jules screeched.

"Jules, what are you doing here?" Nancy asked weakly, her mind still stuck on her and Frank's previous conversation.

"Well, I'm here for a video, silly!" Jules exclaimed loudly, prompting Bess and Joe to rush into the isle.

"Who's this?" Bess asked, nudging Nancy.

"Oh, hi! I'm Jules," the man exclaimed, hearing Bess' question.

Joe's eyes grew wide and he cleared his throat, trying desperately to contain his laughter.

"Oh, hi, Jules. I'm, uh, Janet," Bess said, also trying to keep a cover identity.

"And I'm Frank," Joe said holding out his hand. Frank gave his brother a look.

"Oh, I'm so happy to meet you! You know, friends are the gasoline in the car of your life," Jules said, getting a far off look in his eyes.

Bess snorted.

Jules gave her a look before going on.

"Well, I don't want to keep you. It's just…wow. You can tell you two are in love," he said, glancing towards Nancy and Frank.

"I can see it in your auras," Jules explained at Nancy and Frank's quizzical looks.

"Ah," Joe said giving Bess a look.

"Well, Jules, it really was nice seeing you, but we've got to go," Nancy said. Frank nodded before slinging an arm around his 'wife's' waist.

"By, Jules!" He exclaimed, leading Nancy out of the row.

"Ta-ta!" Jules exclaimed, disappearing behind the rows of movies.

"Wow. Just…wow," Bess said as they approached the cash with the movie she had grabbed before rushing to isle Z.

"I know. You really weren't playing him down!" Joe exclaimed.

"Did you think we were?" Nancy laughed, suddenly very aware that both her friend were looking at her stomach with amusement in their eyes.

She glanced down and saw that Frank's hand was still slung around her slender waist. She had been so comfortable; she had unconsciously snuggled into his side and forgotten about his hand.

She flushed and poked Frank in the side. He looked down and quickly removed his hand.

Bess snickered and dropped the movie on the counter.

"Oh, Bess! _The Wizard of Oz?_" Joe whined at her movie choice.

"It's a great movie!" Bess exclaimed defensively.

Nancy smiled at the platinum blonde cashier before going into her purse and digging out her movie card.

The girl took it and began to check out the movie.

She was in her late teens, seventeen or eighteen at the oldest, and tall with big green eyes.

Nancy looked down at her vest and glanced at the nametag there.

_Marilynn Jones: Assistant Manager_

"Uh, Nance? Are you checking her out?" Joe whispered in her ear. Nancy swatted at his arm.

"Last night I found a business card in my room, it had her name on it," Nancy explained quickly.

Marilynn handed Nancy a bag with the movie in it.

"Uh, hey. Marilynn, you wouldn't happen to live at 487 Wickword Crest, would you?" Nancy asked casually.

Marilynn's eyes widened and she froze before leaning over the counter.

"What do you need to know?" she whispered.

"I need to know if you know this man," Nancy asked. Marilynn hushed her.

"Got a picture?" She asked, and Nancy shook her head. "Then describe him."

"Um, well," Nancy stammered. She hadn't really prepared to ask about the man.

"Well?" The teen asked.

"He's, uh, tall. About 6 feet. He has a black camera…" Nancy started.

"Oh, yeah, I know the guy," Marilynn said, nodding her head and sending her platinum blonde hair in different directions.

When her side-swept bangs flew to the side, Joe noticed a strand of darker blonde hair poking out at a strange angle.

_'She's wearing a wig!' _Joe realized.

"She barely described him!" Bess exclaimed.

"Well, yeah, but he carries that camera everywhere!" Marilynn said.

"How did you get mixed up in all this, Marilynn? You look so young!" Frank asked suddenly.

The younger girl gave him a weak smile.

"Family ties. And once you're in, you can't get out," she explained.

Frank nodded.

"Well, that's beside's the point," Nancy cut in. "Who is the guy?"

"Why do you need to know?" Marilynn suddenly asked, raising her blond eyebrows.

Bess cut in.

"Why do you think we need to know?" She asked gruffly.

Marilynn's eyes widened and her face turned pale.

"You're a part of it?" she asked, shaking slightly.

"You bet your ass we are!" Frank chimed in.

"The…the murders?" the young girl asked, clearly in a lot of terror.

Joe paused before nodding. His heart panged in apology for the young girl.

"OK, OK! I don't know anything but his name and where to find him," Marilynn said.

Nancy motioned for her to continue.

"You can find him at 28 Robyn Path and his name is--," Marilynn started, but stopped when a muffled thump came from the back.

Frank rushed around the corner to the C isle, where Jules was slumped against a pile of movies. A figure in black stood over him, waving something metallic in front of him.

A gun.

He stumbled backwards into something that he could only assume was Joe.

He rushed back to cash and pounced on Nancy just in time to hear several gun shots ring out. A shriek beside him Joe and Bess had safely landed behind the row of snack foods that he had jumped behind.

"I'm sorry! They told me that they were involved! It's not my fault!

P-please don't…please!" Bess heard Marilynn beg.

A blood curling scream followed a sharp blast from the gun, followed by the clink of a stapler.

Nancy felt tears in her eyes as her breath caught in her throat.

A bell above the door signaled that the killer had exited the building, prompting Nancy to push Frank off of her and get up.

She stumbled over to the register and peered behind it.

Frank walked up and saw tears streaming down her face.

He could hear Joe swear behind him and ask Bess for her cell-phone.

He registered the sound of Joe calling for a police car and ambulance, but only saw the gruesome sight before him.

Marilynn was sprawled out on the floor, a platinum wig on the floor, exposing curly ash blonde hair and a very familiar picture stapled to her forehead.

Several bullet holes decorated her torso, and her eyes stared open, transfixed in horror.

"Why, Frank? Why another one?" Nancy sobbed, and buried her head into Frank's chest.

And for once, Frank didn't have an answer.

* * *

**A/N: I'm sorry if it's not very good.**

**I'm sooo tired, and I wanted to update, so yeah.**

**Thoughts?**

.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I own only the people I create (and kill off).**

**A/N: I'm such a procrastinator. I put off the story as long as possible, and then write the next chapter like, in an hour. **

**But it wasn't always like this. The first chapter took me a week to prefect.**

**But, alas, school is out and I've lost momentum. **

**Also, I put something(s) in that might be a little shocking, but please don't hate me!!**

Not even ten minutes later, the roar of ambulances and police cars filled the street.

Nancy rubbed her eyes and took a deep breath. It was so unlike her to just fall apart when there was mystery to be solved, but the emotional roller-coaster she had been riding for the last few days was finally taking its toll on her, and the after storm was not pretty.

"Hey, are you OK?" Bess asked softly, her eyes the picture of sympathy.

"Y-yeah, I'm good," Nancy choked out, her eyes never leaving the floor.

"You don't look OK. What's wrong, Nance? This isn't like you!" Bess exclaimed, huddling closer to her friend and wrapping an arm around her.

Nancy felt someone's gaze on her and she looked up. Joe was standing with the police officer, nodding his head as if he was listening, but watching Nancy with eyes filled with concern.

"I'm really fine, Bess. I swear," she said, looking away from Joe.

"Do you pinkie swear?" Bess asked, holding out her little finger. Nancy linked hers through it.

"Pinkie swear," Nancy said with a small smile.

"OK," Bess said, not looking entirely convinced.

Giving Bess one more smile, Nancy walked over to where Joe was standing with the police officer.

Joe reached out and touched her arm, question in his eyes.

"I'm fine," she mouthed, turning her attention to the policeman, who she now recognized as Hal.

"Hi, Nancy," he said with a warm smile.

"Hi, Hal," she replied back, trying to ignore the feeling of Joe's gaze.

"Well, we're about finished with our investigation. This girl has been identified as Marilynn Jones, seventeen years old. She lives downtown with her older brother and her one year old daughter Blair…" Hal explained, but Nancy soon tuned him out.

_'She was a mother? She had a daughter? She was so young! Now some poor little girl has to grow up without a mommy!' _

Nancy felt Joe touch her arm again, and she realized tears were pouring down her face.

Joe led Nancy away from a confused Hal, right to the now familiar Z section.

"Nancy, what's wrong?" he asked, lowering his voice so no one could over hear.

"It's my fault! It's my fault that some little girl will grow up without her mom!

If I hadn't asked her all those questions, she would still be alive and that little girl wouldn't have to grow up just like…just like…" Nancy cried hysterically, but broke off the sentence in sobs.

Joe wrapped his arms around her.

"Just like you?" Joe guessed. He felt Nancy nod against his chest.

"Nancy, it's absolutely not your fault," he exclaimed quietly.

"But…" Nancy sobbed.

Joe silenced her.

--

Looking away from the paramedics lifting a lifeless body into the ambulance, Frank noticed Joe leading Nancy into the isle marked 'Z'.

Curious, he followed, but stood behind the row.

He couldn't hear what was going on, but he saw Joe pull Nancy into a tight hug.

--

"Shh, it's OK, Nance," Joe whispered after moments of consoling her.

Nancy sniffled and looked up.

"Thanks, Joe," she replied, smiling gratefully.

"No problem," Joe said, smiling back. "Yep, not only am I great with the ladies, but I have a PhD in comforting!"

Nancy laughed and stood on her tiptoes to kiss Joe on the cheek.

He followed the motion.

But when they were about to make contact a voice broke through the silence.

"That was so not cool!" a high pitched voiced called out. Jules.

At the sound of his voice, both Nancy and Joe jerked their heads in surprise.

And then their lips met in a kiss.

--

'_Did they just kiss?!' _Frank thought in shock.

He froze for a moment, partially out of surprise, but also out of pure anger.

It seemed that time stood still, as he watched his brother lock lips with the women he loved.

Finally, he tore his eyes away and stomped off.

--

Both Nancy and Joe pulled apart in surprise.

Nancy looked Joe right in the eyes, and he looked back.

And then they burst out laughing.

"Oops!" Nancy said between giggles. She couldn't believe what just happened!

"I'll say!" Joe chuckled, shaking his head.

"I was just so surprised..." Nancy said, but started laughing before she could finish her thought.

"Vanessa would claw your head off if she saw that!" Joe laughed. "But I bet when I tell her, she'll laugh too."

"Yeah, just make sure she knows it was an accident," Nancy warned, trying to be serious, but her efforts ended in a snort/laugh.

"Come on; we'd better get back," Joe said, putting an arm around his friend.

--

"Where are we going?" Bess asked as Frank rushed out of the building.

"28 Robyn Path," Frank answered as he put the key in the ignition.

"But what about the wizard?" Bess asked, waving the rental in her hand.

He looked up at a small sound.

Nancy and Joe were running towards them, waving their hands.

"Hey, where were you going? And how did you get my keys?" Nancy demanded.

"I was going to check out that address Marilynn gave us. And you dropped them," Frank explained, not looking at them.

"Well, OK," Joe said, hopping in the back with Bess while Nancy sat down beside Frank.

"Are you OK?" Nancy asked. Frank nodded sharply.

"You and Joe go check out Marilynn's house. I'd figure you'd like that," Frank sneered. Nancy looked at him confusedly.

"Actually, I'd rather have Bess with me. No offence, Joe," Nancy said, smiling at Joe. Joe grinned back.

"None taken," he said. He jerked his head back a little when he turned to see Bess staring at him curiously.

"Joe, are you wearing lip gloss?" She asked. Joe wiped at his mouth, and Nancy turned red, but no one but Frank seemed to notice.

Bess gave a small shriek when Frank suddenly made a sharp turn and stopped the car.

"Here's your stop," he said gruffly, pulling up in front of a shabby looking bungalow.

"Thanks," Nancy said, getting out of the car. Joe got out to switch places with her, and to Frank's discomfort, gave her arm a squeeze.

"Bye," Joe called out, and scooted into the seat.

Frank didn't even wait for his brother to fasten his seatbelt before pulling away from the curb with a squeal.

--

Approaching the front door, Bess held out a hand to ring the doorbell.

The door swung open before her mitten even made contact.

A man with a tear streaked face opened the door.

"Are you the ones? The ones that were there when Mari died?" He chocked out.

Nancy nodded.

"Come in," the man said, holding the door open wider.

Nancy and Bess both stepped into the worn-down house.

"I'm Marilynn's half-brother Michael, by the way," he said, wiping his eyes. "Take a seat."

The girls sat on the worn leather couch and looked around.

A beautiful, blonde baby looked up at them with interest from her spot on the floor.

"Mommy?" The baby, presumably Blair, squealed and threw herself at Bess.

Bess let out a shriek of surprise as the small girl landed on her lap.

"Umm, I'm not…" Bess started, but the girl let a small tear slip out of her bright blue eyes and Bess fell silent.

"It's because of your hair," Michael explained, pointing towards Bess's blonde locks and picked Blair off her lap.

"Michael, we're deeply sorry about your sister…" Nancy started.

"Half-sister," he corrected. "I'm almost thirteen years older than her. Our mom had me when she was sixteen."

"Oh," Nancy said, but continued on. "We're here because of something Marilynn might have been involved in. Do you have any idea what that could be?"

Michael looked thoughtful for a second before nodding.

"After Blair was born, Mari found a letter from her dad; I don't know what it said, got involved in some real shady stuff. Blair barely even knew her mother. I'm all she has," Michael said, wiping at his eyes and held Blair closer to his chest.

"Do you need a minute?" Bess asked.

"Actually, I think it would just be better if you left. This is bringing up too many memories," he said, standing up. Bess and Nancy nodded their heads, said their thanks and left.

As soon as their cab left the curb, Michael place Blair gently in her playpen and picked up the phone.

He dialed a number he knew by heart, and didn't bother with the proper greetings when the person on the other end picked up.

"They've been here," he said simply before slamming the receiver back down.

--

Naturally, when Joe and Frank arrived at 28 Robyn Path it was empty.

The door was locked, but Frank picked it with ease.

The brothers stepped into the small house, and began to look around.

All Frank could think about as he rifled through drawers was how Joe and Nancy had kissed.

And all Joe could think about was a hamburger, but that was a different story.

Joe walked over to a white door and swung it open.

His eyes widened and his face paled.

"Frank? I think I found something…"

--

After Nancy paid the cab driver that had taken them home, she and Bess began the climb to their apartment.

But to their surprise, sitting outside the door, was Ned.

"Ned? What are you…?" Nancy started.

"Nancy! Finally! I have something to say," Ned replied, standing up.

"Great, but…" Nancy started again.

"No, let me talk. I love you, Nancy. I should have never cheated on you. This whole thing with Heather just opened my eyes. I can't live without you! So, Nancy…" Ned said, falling down to one knee. "Will you marry me?"

Nancy's mouth gaped open. Bess's hands flew to her face.

"What? No!" Nancy cried, and Ned's face fell.

"Why not? And don't say because I cheated. I really love you." He asked, standing up.

"Because…because… I'm dating Frank Hardy!" Nancy blurted.

"Then leave him! Nancy, come on! We're soul mates!" Ned exclaimed but a look of anger still crossed his face at the mention of Frank.

"Yeah, well, Frank and I are soul mates," Nancy said, stubbornly crossing her arms. "So, goodbye, Ned!" Nancy pulled out her key and marched into the apartment.

Bess followed, closing the door behind her.

"Don't say a word," Nancy said between her teeth, and Bess just smiled in return.

--

Inside the door, was a shrine, I guess you could call it.

It was wall-to-wall filled with pictures of Nancy. In all of them, she was totally oblivious to the camera.

"I think we found our guy," Joe breathed, mesmerized by the photos.

"Definatly. But he's not coming back here. He heard Marilynn tell—stop looking at the photos like that!" Frank suddenly burst out.

"Huh?" Joe exclaimed.

"I know you _love_ her and everything, but you don't have to flaunt it!" Frank cried.

"I don't--," Joe tried.

"I saw you kissing, Joe! God, how could you do this to Vanessa? No, how can you do this to me?" Frank spat.

"What are you--," Joe started, but stopped abruptly when he saw Frank's face.

And then, in a flash, Frank cocked a fist and punched his brother straight in the face.

**A/N: Please, please don't hate me!!**

**I had to do it all!**

**And now I'd love to hear your thoughts on it….**

**Review??**

.


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer:**** I don't own Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, or any characters related to them. To own them, I'd have to own the authors, and I'm not nearly old enough for that.**

**A/N: From the sound of the feedback I got, nobody hates me!!  
YAY! I was so worried. **

**OK, I'm going out of town next week, all week. So I will get as many chapters as possible up before I go.**

**And oh, I was spelling out 'choke' when I noticed my computer change it to 'chock'.**

**I looked back and realized it has happened in many chapters, so I programmed my Spell-Check not to do it anymore.**

**Sorry! It won't happen again.**

**Enjoy:**

* * *

_And then, in a flash, Frank cocked a fist and punched his brother straight in the face._

* * *

Or at least, he was going to.

At the last possible second, Joe jumped back, letting Frank sway back and forth before knocking him down and landing on top of him.

"Listen up," Joe hissed into his brother's ear. "I don't know what you think happened, so I'm gonna set you straight. Yeah, I'll admit it, I did kiss Nancy. By accident. We both jerked our heads and missed. We were both going for a completely _innocent_ kiss on the cheek. That's it, that's all. And I realized that you're pissed, but I'd never in a millions years do anything to hurt you, Frank. And remember, I'm supposed to be the irrational one..."

Frank was completely silent. It hadn't occurred to just ask Joe what had happened. It also hadn't occurred that it was an accident.

But what suddenly DID occur to him was the fact that he had almost tried to knock his beloved baby brother's lights out.

Frank closed his eyes. He loved Joe more than anything, and he couldn't believe he had gotten so angry, he had felt the need to get violent.

"Joe, I-I'm so sorry," Frank choked out. Frank felt Joe get off him.

"I know. Let's just say you owe me and be done with it," Joe said, holding out a hand to hoist his brother to his feet.

"I just don't know what came over me!" Frank cried, shaking his head.

"I do. It's a little thing called l--," Joe started.

"Don't say love!" Frank warned.

"…I wasn't going to say love," Joe fibbed.

"Liar," Frank cried, overlapping Joe's words. Joe scoffed.

"Oops, I had forgotten about your hidden hostility! Please, please don't punch me Frank!" Joe mocked.

"Don't provoke me; I just might!" Frank teased.

And just like that, any and all hostility between the brothers disappeared.

Frank slung an arm around his brother's shoulders.

"Come on, bro," he said, leading the way out of the house.

"Oh, and one more thing," Joe said, turning to face Frank. "I'm calling in my favor now." Frank sighed.

"What is it?" He asked, hanging his head.

"Ask out Nancy," Joe said and began walking to the car.

"What?"

--

"I can't believe it. I just can't believe it," Nancy murmured from her position on the couch, fingering the cold cloth that was resting on her forehead.

"Me either! I can't believe he just proposed! I mean, I always thought he would someday, but once you broke up, I figured it was never going to happen!" Bess squealed.

"Let's not talk about it anymore, OK Bess?" Nancy asked, sitting up and removing the cloth from her face.

"OK. What do you want to talk about?" Bess asked.

"Oh, actually, one more thing on that last subject," Nancy admitted, looking straight at Bess. "Don't tell Frank."

"Why?" Bess asked, walking over to the kitchen.

"Um, maybe because he would start digging Ned's grave?" Nancy said.

"True," Bess said, pouring some tea into a mug. "Also, imagine the look he would get on his face when you told him how you got Ned to go away."

"Yeah, let's definatly not mention that to Frank," Nancy said, just as the door opened.

"Not mention what to me?" Frank asked, stepping into the apartment and taking off his jacket.

"Nothing!" Nancy said brightly. "Did you find anything?"

"Well, we did find his closet interesting," Joe said, walking over to the couch.

"What was in his closet?" Bess asked eagerly, leaning over the counter separating the kitchen and the living room.

"A shrine to Nancy," Frank said, sitting down beside his brother.

"A what?" Nancy exclaimed.

"A shrine. Thousands of pictures in which you are completely oblivious to the camera," Joe explained, letting his head fall back.

"Tired?" Bess asked, bringing more mugs down from the cabinet.

"It's been an exhausting day," Frank said, looking at Joe with an expression that clearly said 'Not a word!'

"Yep, just tired," Joe said. "Hey, how about watching that movie now?"

"That sounds great," Nancy said, plopping down beside Frank.

She had a smile on her face, but Frank could clearly see the look of fear in her eyes.

As they settled into watching the movie, Nancy couldn't shake the uneasy feeling of being watched. She hated that feeling, the shiver down your spine, the hairs that stood up of the back of your neck…

--

"I love that movie," Bess said, sighing contently as the closing credits began to roll.

"Same," Nancy said. "I bet Frank and Joe love it too, but they're too manly to admit it."

"Hey, all I'm admitting is that those are a rocking pair of shoes," Joe said, stretching his arms up above his head. The girls laughed.

But Frank remained silent. When Bess and Nancy were to preoccupied to notice, Joe waved a hand towards Nancy.

Frank quickly shook his head.

Joe mimed someone punching him, and then crossed his arms, and gave Frank a smug smile.

'Not now!' Frank mouthed.

'Yes now!' Joe mouthed back. With that, he jabbed Frank in the ribs with his elbow.

"Ow!" Frank cried. Nancy looked up from the sink.

"Uh, Nance?" Frank asked nervously. "Can I talk to you in private?"

Nancy looked stricken. She thought back to what Frank had started to say at the video rental store, and then to what Ned had said earlier.

She looked up to see Frank staring right at her. She wanted to know what he had to say, especially if it was she thought he had been talking about, but with today's events, she just wouldn't be able to handle it.

"Uh, maybe later, OK?" Nancy asked, before nervously scurrying out of the room.

"Uh, OK…" Frank called after her, but then bowed his head and sighed.

"And once again, she leaves, clouding the room with L-U-S-T," Joe said, patting his brother on the shoulder.

"Lust?" Bess asked, making a face. Even Frank looked at him strangely.

"Well, in a way. I'm talking about the acronym. 'Lotsa Unresolved Sexual Tension'," Joe explained.

"Clever!" Bess said.

"Well, look at me. A face this handsome just screams 'clever!'" Joe bragged.

"Yes, Joe. They should give you a Nobel Prize for being handsome," Frank said sarcastically, still looking in the direction in which Nancy had just disappeared.

"Finally you're seeing things my way!" Joe exclaimed while Bess giggled.

"Ha-ha," Frank said. "Didn't you say you wanted to call Vanessa before she went to bed?"

"Oh! Right!" Joe exclaimed, disappearing around the corner.

"Ah, to be in love!" Bess said wistfully before disappearing around the same corner. "There's no feeling like it!"

_'And don't I know it," _Frank thought, letting his head once more fall towards the ground.

--

"Joe?" Said the sweet-sounding voice on the other end of the phone. Joe's heart ached. He hadn't realized how much he had missed her voice.

"Hi," Joe said breathlessly.

"I miss you!" Vanessa gushed, holding the phone tightly.

"I miss you, too!" Joe said quietly, hoping Frank wouldn't come barging in on this mush fest. He loved Vanessa, but he still had his manly-pride.

"So what's up?" Vanessa asked, not really understanding how much this question was going to cost her.

Joe then went on to explain the past few days, only pausing when Vanessa let out horror filled gasps.

"And then, today, Frank tried to punch my lights out…" Joe said, nervously waiting for her response.

"HE WHAT?! Why?" Vanessa asked, anger filling every bone in her body.

"Um, because he saw me kissing Nancy," Joe said, almost gagging with fear of what she would say.

"YOU WHAT?!" Vanessa shrieked. Joe heard her taking a deep breath. "Joseph Hardy, you'd better have a good explication…"

Joe hated that voice. Overly calm, overly polite, but made him feel smaller that screaming would have.

"It was an accident," Joe explained calmly.

"Hmm?" Vanessa said, waiting for Joe to go on.

And he did. For several minutes. Until Vanessa finally broke down and believed him.

"OK… Just don't let it happen again," Vanessa sighed. Joe smiled triumphantly.

Frank chose that moment to walk in.

He took in the happy smile that was draped lazily across Joe's face.

'Phone sex?' he mouthed. Joe shot him a look.

"Hey, Van? I have to go. Yeah…yeah, I love you, too. Bye," Joe said, signing off with his girlfriend. He leaned back against his pillow.

"You look really happy," Frank noticed.

"I am," Joe admitted. "You know, I was thinking of asking her to marry me."

"Wow!" Frank whistled. "Big step!"

"I know. But I'm willing to take the leap," Joe said, before getting up and grabbing his pajamas.

Frank followed this motion, put on his pajamas and fell asleep.

--

It was around three in the morning when Nancy awoke, the someone's-watching-you-feeling reaching its peak, making her so restless it disturbed her dreams.

She blinked her eyes sleepily; propped herself up on her elbows, and looked straight ahead of her, out the window.

Her eyes opened in terror when she saw someone out on the fire escape, wearing all black except for a white mask, ironically with an upward titled mouth, that drenched in blood.

She was about to scream when a hand clasped over her mouth.

Another blood drenched intruder stood there, with another one searching through her drawers.

She felt tears of terror sting her eyes as the masked intruder pulled her forcefully out of bed.

Nancy tried to land as hard as she could on the floor, hoping the thump would be loud enough to wake Frank or Joe.

But no such luck. The intruder held her up by her arm, dangling an inch over the ground.

He held a knife as close as possible to her neck, and started to drag her out of her room.

She tried to scream, but her only reward was a smack to the head.

They dragged her quietly out of the apartment.

The one holding her arm scooped her up and pulled her down two floors before signaling his/her partner.

His/her partner ran back upstairs, and slammed the door to her apartment forcefully, clearly trying to wake her friends.

They ran the rest of the way, until finally, Nancy was shoved in a trunk, and the darkness was her only companion as they drove away in silence.

--

A loud slam woke Bess from her otherwise peaceful slumber.

She stumbled out of her room, practically crawling across the hall to Nancy's room.

When she opened her eyes, she couldn't help but let out a scream.

The room was trashed, books, paper and clothes all over the place.

There was blood smeared along the wall, but she wasn't sure if it was Nancy's.

And speaking of Nancy, her red-headed best friend was nowhere in sight.

Tears flooded down her cheeks as Frank and Joe scurried beside her. They took one look around, and Frank's face went completely pale. He started shaking at the sight of the blood the decorated Nancy's bedroom.

"Bess? Go call the police," Joe said, wrapping an arm around his brother, shaking just as hard as he was.

He didn't know who did this, but he knew when they found out, considering Frank's earlier spree of irrationality, the aftermath would not be pretty.

* * *

**A/N: I know, I know. 'Spree of irrationality' is incredibly lame, but I couldn't think of another way to put it.**

**The possibility of one or more chapters tomorrow is very likely.**

**Thoughts?**

.


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I don't own any characters mentioned, plus Cheerio's and Gossip Girl.**

**Or Cherry Garcia. Oh, but I wish I did.**

**A/N: I'm so lazy!  
I was going to write a chapter or two yesterday, but I slept until one o'clock in the p.m. And the day before…**

**I could have written after that, but I couldn't find the energy (you'd think I would have some from sleeping so late, but, no such luck)**

**I hope this makes up for it!**

It was a little after nine o' clock in the morning when the police finally left.

All the officers had looked a little shaken, but they were nothing compared to Frank.

The older Hardy had been sitting on the couch for hours on end, running his hands through his hair over and over, and constantly clenching and unclenching his fists. His face was pale, and he had goose bumps covering his arms.

Frank had been questioned, but his answers were mostly mono-syllabic, or he didn't even bother to answer, just shaking his head yes or no.

Finally, after watching his brother live inside the hell he had created in his own mind, Joe stood and sat beside him.

"Are you OK?" Joe asked, studying his brother carefully.

Frank shrugged his shoulders.

"I'll take that as a no," Joe said. "We're going to find her."

"But what if we don't?" Frank demanded angrily, tearing his eyes away from the floor.

"We will," Joe said, and with that, he walked away.

--

Joe was sitting at the kitchen table, chewing more of his nails then he was of his cereal, when Bess finally emerged from her bedroom.

Her eyes were still red, but carefully covered with black eye shadow, a perfect match to her all black ensemble, and the thick black chuck running through her perfectly curled hair.

"Um, Bess? What are you wearing?" Joe asked, eyeing her.

"Black. I'm in mourning. My best friend is missing. Should I not be mourning?" Bess demanded angrily.

"Yes, that's fine. It's just… your hair," Joe said.

"What? It's not permanent, if that's what you're wondering. It'll wash out soon enough. Eight shampoos, to be exact. Will Nancy be back by then? Because if not, I'm going to need another bottle," Bess said, sinking down onto a chair and burying her face into her hands.

"I don't I know when we'll find her, Bess. I just know that we will," Joe said softly, stroking Bess' hair.

"I just—she goes missing way too often," Bess huffed, her words slightly muffled.

Joe let out a soft laugh, just as the phone rang. Bess wiped her eyes and got up to get it.

"Hello?" She answered, trying to sound cheery, but failing miserably.

Joe scooped up a bite of soggy Cheerios, and watched her intently.

"Yes, this is she," Bess said into the phone. "Yes, I have time."

"Who is it?" Joe asked. 'Missing Person's Unit,' Bess mouthed back.

"Well, OK," Bess said, sitting back down. Frank walked into the room, taking a moment to take in Bess' new look before asking Joe who she was talking to.

"Missing Person's Unit," Joe said, a few Cheerio's falling out of his mouth and back into the bowl.

"Ah," Frank said, looking glum.

"Her name is Nancy Drew," Bess told the police man over the phone. "But you already know that."

Frank glanced up.

"She's about 5'7"," Bess explained slowly.

Both brothers could hear mumbling from the other line.

"She kinda looks like Blake Lively on Gossip Girl, but with strawberry-blonde hair," she said.

Bess paused to listen.

"Blake Lively. Gossip Girl? Oh, come on! Don't you ever watch television?" Bess exclaimed.

Frank could hear Joe stifling a laugh.

"Strawberry-blonde? Are you kidding me? Red-tinted blonde. Kinda like Sara Dawson from eight grade science. Does it really matter that you don't know Sara Dawson?" She demanded angrily.

"Bess?" Frank said carefully. "Why don't I talk to the officer?"

"Good luck. Not only is he culturally deprived, he barely speaks English," she said, handing Frank the phone and brushed away the lock of black hair.

Joe watched his brother converse with the Officer, admiring him as he did so.

He thought his brother had been down for the count, out of the game. He had been so shaken; they all were, but especially Frank.

But know, here he was, walking around like he was on top of it all.

Joe had always known his brother was strong, but this was a level of strength which he didn't think was humanly possible to reach.

He clearly loved Nancy more than he had loved anyone else, but he was keeping it together so well, it made Joe's heart hurt.

--

It had been just over twelve hours since Nancy had gone missing when the phone rang again.

"Hello?" Frank answered, grabbing the phone from where he was sitting on the couch, snacking on chips.

"Is this Frank or Joe?" said the voice on the other end.

"This is Frank," he said. "And who is this?"

"This is Officer Stevens, you know, from the police department."

"Well, gee. I had that figured out, _Officer_," Frank replied snappishly.

"No need to get snippy!" Officer Stevens barked, shocking Frank a little.

"Was there a reason why you called?" Frank asked politely.

"Well, I didn't just call to make sure your phone was working," Stevens said.

"So…?" Frank drawled out, stuffing a chip into his mouth.

"There's a small problem. Well, I guess you could say two…" the Officer said vaguely.

"And those problems would be…?" Frank asked, sitting up straight.

"One murder, one attempted," Stevens said calmly. Frank's throat went dry.

"Where?" He asked, barely able to pronounce the word.

Frank jotted down the addresses on his hand, recognizing one as the local hospital before hanging up.

"You know, ice cream's really better comfort food than chips are," Bess said, popping into the room and producing a pint of Cherry Garcia and two spoons.

"Can't," Frank wheezed. Bess gave him a look of confusion.

"Can't what? Eat ice cream? Frank, it's Cherry Garcia! Even ice cream haters love it!" Bess exclaimed pushing a spoon into his hand. "Or is it the eating with a spoon part that confuses you?"

"Murders," Frank said, barely able to open his eyes.

"What?" Bess shrieked, dropping the Cherry Garcia to the ground.

"Hey! What's Cherry Garcia doing on the ground?" Joe asked, walking in. "This is ice cream abuse! Poor CG, no one loves you like I do!"

"Get your coat," Bess said, shrugging on a faux-fur collared jacket.

"What? Why?" Joe asked, throwing on his wind breaker anyway.

"We'll fill you in on the way there," Bess said, grabbing Joe by the arm.

--

Nancy opened her eyes and shivered.

She concluded that she must have fallen asleep, and was not forced into her un-conscious state.

The basement she was locked in was freezing, so cold in fact, that the snow that blew in from the jammed open window didn't melt.

Nancy stood on her feet, and shakily walked over to the window.

There was a good foot of snow covering the opening, but she could see a sliver of blue sky from her angle.

She could try to dig her way out, but the chance of getting caught was too risky, and the narrow window was barely big enough to fit her head through, not to mention the rest of her.

She could try screaming out it, but one of the men upstairs would surely hear her and come down.

Nancy looked around and shivered again, realizing she was still wearing nothing but her old flannel pajamas.

She took a breath and called out.

"HEY!"

She waited for a response.

A creak signaled the opening of a door.

"What do you want?" A mechanical sounding voice answered. It was obvious the person was trying to disguise their voice.

"I'm hungry," Nancy said, trying to sound weak and child like.

She heard the voice muttering something under their breath, and seconds later, she heard something bouncing down the stairs.

"There," the voice said, and the door slammed shut.

Nancy walked over to the stairs to find a juice box and a small granola bar resting at awkward angles.

She sighed. She was scared, and cold, and her 'lunch' wasn't going to last her very long.

Nancy unwrapped the bar, and took a bite. She settled onto the concrete floor, and closed her eyes.

She just hoped Frank found her soon.

--

The trio hadn't really found much when they arrived at the murdered woman's house.

The normal chill wafted through the apartment, but that was about it.

Nothing was scattered, and nothing was torn to pieces. In fact, there actually weren't that many police officers either.

They immediately headed towards the bedroom, since that was the direction all of the officers that were there were flooding from.

Lying on the bed, looking as peaceful as she was sleeping, was a beautiful young girl with long light brown hair, a stab through the heart and puncture wounds on her forehead.

Beside him, Joe could feel Bess heading towards the floor, and grabbed her arm just in time.

The dark make-up she was wearing streaked down her face.

"Bess? What's wrong?" Joe asked worriedly.

"I know her! I know her; she's from River Heights!" Bess sobbed into his shoulder.

"Are you sure?" Frank asked.

"Yes! It's Stephanie, Stephanie Hayes! She was in my ballet class! When I was l-little!" Bess choked out, wiping her eyes.

"It's OK, Bess," Joe whispered soothingly, rubbing a hand down her back.

"Come on," Frank said, leading Joe and Bess down the hall.

"Hal?" Frank said, tapping the officer on the shoulder.

"Hi, Frank, Joe, Bess," Hal said, winking at Bess. Bess merely wiped the dark make-up stains from around her eyes and ran a hand through her hair.

"What happened here?" Joe asked. Hal grimaced.

"Stephanie Hayes. Twenty three years old. Originally from the small town of River Heights. Found by her neighbor early this morning. Stab to the chest, picture to the forehead," Hal said ticking off facts.

"And you haven't found anything?" Bess asked.

"No; the place is clean," Hal said. "Oh, wait. I guess you guys should know about the picture."

"We've seen the picture before, Hal," Frank said.

"Not this picture," Hal said, pulling something out of his pocket.

The image was black and white, a little grainy, not a very good copy, but the image in a whole was clear.

Clearly disturbing.

The picture portrayed Nancy, slumped against a wall, eyes closed.

And she did not look good.

Frank didn't even think before he turned around and stormed out of Stephanie's house and climbed into Nancy's car.

He sat behind the wheel for a minute, breathing deeply and closing his eyes while he waited for Bess and Joe to catch up.

He clenched his fists in anger, thinking of how dead the person who kidnapped her would be, but then he unclenched them, a small flicker of hope telling him she could just be asleep.

Bess and Joe had climbed into the car, and clearly were talking to him, but he didn't hear them. He just stuck the key in the ignition, and drove.

--

Despite their initial protests, Frank drove them straight to the hospital, where the attempted murder victim, Joyce Greendale was staying.

Bess and Joe kept exchanging worried looks, whispering things in each others ears so that Frank couldn't hear.

Frank jumped out of the car before either of them could say a word, and barged past every nurse telling him he couldn't go down whatever wing Joyce was staying in.

Joe and Bess ran to catch up, almost knocking into Frank when he abruptly stopped outside room 385.

Chief Todd was monitoring the hall way, standing outside the room with such authority it made Bess shiver with intimidation.

"Chief, is it OK if we go in?" Frank asked in a cold voice.

The Chief, surprised by Frank's icy tone, nodded weakly and stepped aside.

Bess and Joe exchanged looks again, and paused briefly to say hello to Todd before following Frank into a sunny room.

Joe looked at his brother, who was frozen in his tracks. He followed his brother's gaze to the bed, and his eyes widened. Bess let out a little shriek.

"Is it--?" Frank asked.

"It can't be!" Joe interrupted.

"But her face--!"

"But her hair!"

Frank took a deep breath as the girl began to stir and eventually opened her eyes.

"Nancy?"

**A/N: Well? Is that cliffie good enough for not updating yesterday? Or the day before? I'm probably going to post one or two chapters later, as well. Hopefully.**

**Reviews?**

**.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

**A/N: I said I'd post again and I did!**

**Ha! This is for everyone who said I'm doing nothing this summer!!**

The person on the bed blinked her eyes sleepily.

"Nancy…Nan, is that you?" Frank asked, taking a cautious step forward.

The girl shrunk under her covers, trying to slip farther away from Frank.

"N-no! Leave me alone! Please, please don't hurt me again!" She said, closing her eyes tightly.

Frank felt disappointment like never before, but he tried not to let it show.

"She thinks were her attackers," Joe whispered to Bess and Frank. Both Frank and Joe were surprised when Bess stepped forward, taking a seat on the edge of the bed and taking off her jacket.

"We're not here to hurt you, Joyce. Please don't be scared," Bess begged, smiling slightly when the girl opened her eyes to look at her.

It was amazing how much this girl looked like Nancy. Except for the long black hair cascading down her back, she was practically her twin.

"Hi, I'm Bess," Bess said. "And this is Frank and Joe."

"Hi," Joyce said weakly.

"How old are you, Joyce?" Bess asked.

"I'm eighteen. But my birthday's next month…"Joyce said, looking confused when a little tear rolled down Bess' cheek.

"Happy early birthday," Bess said, stroking the tear away.

"Um, Joyce? I'm sorry, but we really need to ask you some questions. Bout when… about that night," Frank said, pulling up a chair. "Do you think you can handle that?"

Joyce swallowed hard before nodding.

"Just do the best you can, OK, Joyce?" Bess said, squeezing the girl's hand.

Joyce nodded again.

"What do you need to know?" Joyce asked.

"Well, you can start by telling us what happened?" Joe said, looking a Joyce nervously.

Bess gave the younger girl a reassuring look and nodded for her to go on.

"Well, I had class that day, and I went out for dinner right after, so it was kinda late when I got home," Joyce started.

"So what happened when you got home?" Frank asked.

"Well, my door was already unlocked, which wasn't that strange, because I forget to lock my door all the time," she said. "The only weird thing was that all the lights were off, even though I usually keep one or two on. And it was really cold, like freezing. I turned on a lamp and sat down with a book. I didn't notice anything until…until," Joyce gulped, looking sick.

"Do you need a minute?" Frank asked. "It's OK if you do."

"N-no, I'm fine," Joyce said, taking a deep breath. "I was just finishing off my book when I started feeling real uneasy; like someone was watching me. I figured I was being paranoid, but I got up to close the blinds anyway. A-and when I looked out the window, this person d-dressed all in black was staring back at me. He was wearing this white mask; only, there was red stuff all over it. I think it was blood. I screamed and turned around, only there was another person there, holding this knife over me. I screamed again, and he hit me in the chest with it. I think he was aiming for my heart, but he hit me closer to my stomach. It hurt so badly, and I screamed again, as loud as I could, thinking maybe my neighbors would hear me. I guess they did, because they started knocking on the door and the person with the knife swore and ran away through the window. I think I saw someone else go after him, but I'm not sure. I was feeling really dizzy and everything was kinda fuzzy. I remember someone knocking the door down and calling for an ambulance, but that's it."

Frank took a ragged breath.

"Did you have surgery?" Bess asked.

"I-I don't know. You're the first people I've seen all day," Joyce said. "But my stomach still does kinda hurt."

The alarms went off in Joe's head.

"No doctors or nurses or anyone?" Joe asked. Joyce shook her head no. "Then we had better get out of here!"

"What? Why?" Bess asked, looking confused.

Frank picked up on what Joe was saying.

"Because the nurse will be doing her rounds soon. And we aren't supposed to be in here," he said, standing up and Bess' eyes widened in realization.

"Well, it was nice to meet you, Joyce. Take it easy and get well soon!" Bess blurted out quickly.

"Bye," Joyce said in confusion.

And with that, all three of them left just as quickly as they came in.

--

Frank was sitting in his room, sitting on his bed, thinking intently.

He knew something had to tie the murders together, but what…well, that was a different story.

Frank sighed and got up to go to the living room.

"Well, I'm stumped. It's seems like those girls are just random picks," Frank said flopping down in a chair.

"Well, I came up with something," Joe said. Bess and Frank looked at him expectantly. "Well, not really. They all have long hair, that's it."

A collective sigh filled the room, followed by a moment of silence.

Frank rested his head on the back of the chair. He didn't want to give up hope, but if they couldn't figure out why these girls were getting killed, they pretty much had no lead.

An excited shriek broke him out of his thoughts.

Bess had let out a scream and fallen off the couch, straight to the floor.

"Bess, are you OK?" Joe said, getting to his feet and helping her up.

"Yeah, I'm fine! In fact I'm great!" Bess said, dusting off her outfit. "I know why those girls were murdered!"

--

Nancy sighed. She had been trapped in this basement since four in the morning.

She had had very little food, and the chill in the air was causing her to feel very sleepy.

She got up and walked across the small room. She stopped at a white door, pulling on the knob to see what would happen.

To her surprise, it swung open. It was a closet, much like the one Frank had described, filled with pictures of her, with a little bit of the Hardy's, Bess and George thrown in.

Nancy started when she first saw them. Her heart was pounding and dread filled her mind.

_'When did they take all these pictures?' _Nancy thought, looking at them.

There were pictures of her with Ned, shopping with Bess and George, and of course, the infamous grocery store picture.

She looked at that picture very carefully, amongst others.

There were two pictures that scared her more than anything, more than any murder ever could.

In one, she was sleeping in her room. Somehow, someone had crept into her room and taken a picture of her, sleeping on top of her covers, wearing just a long t-shirt, the one she saved for summer. How long had these people been watching her?

The other one was more recent. It was a close-up, clearly taken through her bedroom window.

It was of her and Frank, kissing.

Nancy knew that it had been taken the night her dad came to visit.

And Nancy knew how much it looked like they were in love.

But it was the second thing that scared her the most.

--

"What? Are you sure?" Frank said, leaping to his feet.

"Positive. It just suddenly occurred to me when Joe said 'hair'" Bess said.

"Well?" Joe asked, looking excited.

"Well, Molly had red hair, just like Nancy. Heather dated Ned, just like Nancy. Stephanie was from River Heights _just like Nancy. _And then there was Joyce, who could've been _Nancy's clone._ Don't you see? Everyone who's died has been JUST LIKE NANCY!" Bess exclaimed, a wide smile breaking out on her face.

Joe and Frank thought for a moment before grinning as well.

"Bess, you're a genius!" Joe said, picking up his blonde friend and twirling her in a circle.

"How did you figure that out?" Frank asked, hugging Bess. She shrugged.

"I don't know. Joe said hair, and it all made sense!" She said.

"One thing: we still don't know who it is," Joe said, sighing.

"Yeah, but that's only one piece of the puzzle! At least we- oh, no!" Frank said, smacking himself on the forehead.

"What?" Bess asked. Frank shook his head.

"Has anyone called Mr. D- Carson about Nancy's disappearance?" He asked.

"Oops," Joe said sheepishly. "You told me to, but I forgot." Frank sighed.

"I'll go call him now," he said, picking up the phone.

As soon as his back was turned, Bess grabbed Joe by the arm and dragged him to her bedroom.

"Whoa, Bess! I have a girlfriend!" He said jokingly.

"OK, Joe. I've been meaning to ask, so here it is. What happened in the video store?" Bess said, planting her hands on her hips. Joe's eyes flew to the ground.

"Nancy and I kissed," he admitted, not even bothering lying.

"What?!" Bess shrieked, punching Joe in the arm. "How could you?!"

"It was an accident! We missed, it meant nothing. To Nancy," Joe said.

"WHAT?!" Bess screamed.

"I was kidding!" Joe exclaimed. "It meant nothing to both of us. We laughed about it. Too bad Frank didn't."

"He saw?" Bess asked, grimacing and sitting down on her bed.

Joe nodded.

"Yikes. How'd that go?"

"Badly. He tried to punch me," Joe said. Bess' eyes widened.

"Tried being the key word, right?" She asked.

"Exactly. Oh, and speaking of questions, what were you and Nancy talking about when Frank and I came home? Hmm?" Joe asked, sitting down beside Bess.

Bess thought for a moment.

"Promise you won't tell? Cross your heart and hope to die?" Bess asked.

"Yes and all that middle school stuff," Joe said, miming crossing his heart.

"Ned proposed to Nancy," Bess said, waiting for Joe's reaction.

"WHAT?!" Joe screeched.

"I know! Isn't that wild? We came back from Marilynn's brother's house, and he was waiting in the hall, and basically said 'Hi. Will you marry me?'" Bess said, in an exaggerated imitation of Ned. Joe clenched his fists.

"How could he? His _secret _girlfriend, you know, the one he was using to _cheat on Nancy_, just got killed!" Joe said, standing up and pacing.

"That's not the best part. Nancy told him she was dating Frank!" Bess squealed.

"No!" Joe said, sitting back down beside Bess.

"Yes! And then she told me not to say anything!" Bess squealed.

"Whoa," Joe said.

"Definite whoa," Bess agreed.

--

Breaking the news to Nancy's dad was one of the hardest things Frank had ever had to do.

He hung up the phone and wiped a hand over his face. The emotional overload this case had brought with it was way too overwhelming.

He could hear squealing coming from Bess' room, and he raised his eyebrows when he noticed Bess and his brother were both gone.

He tapped on the door.

"Umm, yes?" Came from inside.

"Uh, what are you guys doing in there?" He asked, suspicious.

"Nothing!" said Bess and Joe.

"Nothing-nothing or something-dirty-nothing?" Frank asked, leaning against the door.

"EW!" squealed both blonds. "We're just talking!" said Bess.

"Yeah, and I kinda have a girlfriend. Vanessa, remember her?" Joe said, poking his head out of the door, but quickly went back in.

Frank was about to respond when a knock came from the front door.

He answered, surprised to find Hal there.

"Hal, hi. What are you doing here?" Frank asked.

I found this at the hospital. I do believe I saw Bess wearing it before?" Hal said with a sly smile, holding out a fur trimmed jacket. "I have no idea how it got there!"

Frank shifted, taking the coat.

"Gee, me either," Frank said, putting it on a chair. "Thanks, though."

"No problem," Hal said, still smiling.

When Hal leaned forward to close the door, something large and black fell out of his jacket.

"No, I'll get--," Hal started, but Frank had already picked it up.

It was a camera.

Marilynn's words echoed through Frank's head.

_'He carries that camera everywhere.'_

A/N: I don't have time to write another chapter, but I'll post again tomorrow.

Oh, and yeah. Another cliffie.

Thoughts?

.


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I don't own any characters mentioned. Well, except the ones you don't recognize. Oh, I own the camera too.**

**A/N: OK, I lied, I didn't post yesterday, but I kinda wanted to build the anticipation for this chapter. **

**And I'm sad to say, there will only be one short epilogue after this.**

* * *

Hal plucked the camera out of Frank's hand and stuffed it back into his pocket.

He seemed unfazed to Frank's reaction.

_'He carries that camera everywhere.'_

He had to know. He would have been right there when Marilynn told them. He would have been the one that shot her. And that's why… right?

Unless…unless it wasn't him who shot Marilynn. But it had to be him. He had been so interested in Nancy since Heather had been killed, and there was just something about him…

He thought back to earlier today, when they were talking to Joyce.

She had described seeing 3 people, one outside her window, two in her apartment.

But that meant there were still two other people, two murderers walking around unnoticed.

Gulp.

"Frank? Frank, what's the matter?" Hal asked, looking a bit nervous.

"N-nice camera," Frank said casually, ignoring his rapidly thumping heart.

"T-thanks," Hal said, trying to look and sound casual, but beads of sweat broke out on his forehead.

"Well, you're probably busy. I'll let you go," Frank said. Hal nodded, relived.

"See you later," Hal said, raising a hand as he turned around and left.

Frank closed the door and waited a couple of seconds before leaving the apartment also.

He waited inside the glass doors until Hal had jumped into his car and began pulling away from the curb.

He too climbed behind the wheel of Nancy's car and sped away, keeping a safe distance away from Hal.

--

He had followed Hal all over town, but finally was able to park his car behind some bushes as Hal climbed the stairs to small single house.

Frank watched from his spot as Hal knocked on the door three times, quickly.

The door swung open and Frank held his breath.

Standing, there was Chief Todd. Frank almost fell over in surprise when Officer Stevens came up behind him.

Was this where they were keeping Nancy? Frank was sure it was them, but he didn't really have any proof.

Hal stepped inside, and closed the door, luckily just in time for Frank's cell-phone to ring like crazy.

"Hello?" Frank barked when he saw Nancy's apartment on caller I.D.

"Frank? Where are you? We heard someone knock at the door, and we came out to see who it was, but you were gone. We were afraid that you'd been kidnapped too!" Joe exclaimed angrily.

"It's Hal, Joe," Frank said, hanging his head.

"At the door?" Joe asked.

"No. Well, yes. But it was Hal. Hal and Stevens and Todd. They kidnapped Nancy, they killed all those girls. Hal had the camera. I followed him to this house. Everyone's there," Frank said, peeking around the bushes.

Frank heard Joe's breathing get shallow, and a rustling before a voice spoke through the phone again.

"What's the address?" Bess said, and Joe could be heard grunting in the background, much louder than she was speaking.

"What's wrong with Joe?" Frank asked.

"He's venting his anger by doing push-ups. It was my idea. Now, the address please?" Bess asked, and Joe grunted some more in the background.

"Uh…" Frank mumbled, peering around the bush again. "49 Willow."

"49 Willow," Bess repeated, and called it over her shoulder to Joe. "We'll get a cab and be there soon."

"Ask the cab to drop you off a block away; you don't want to be seen. I'm going to go see if there's a window I can peek through," Frank said, before exchanging good-byes with Bess.

Looking around the bush one more time, and turning his cell on vibrate, Frank began to creep around the bushes towards the house.

He ran quickly to the side of the house and pressed up against the wall when a man and his dog walked by.

He looked for a window and found two. One high over his head, and an open one around his feet.

He tried to stand on tip-toe and peer through the window, but couldn't get high enough.

Sighing, he sat on the snow and rubbed his hands together. He tried to look through the small open one beside him, but it was covered almost completely by the snow.

Bess and Joe had better get there soon, or he might just get caught.

And then he heard a sneeze.

--

Nancy sighed and sat down on the concrete floor. She had been looking through the pictures for around a half hour and was getting rather tired.

She had shifted through some pictures and found some of Frank and Joe, circled in red ink.

But the most interesting find was a small yellow notebook jammed behind some pictures of her at the mall.

The first few pages were filled with doodles and some addition problems, but the later pages were more those of a journal.

_April 2007: N solved another crime. Begin watching her more closely._

Nancy gulped. They had been watching her since April of _last year?_

The next few pages were filled with sighting of her, phone conversations they'd managed to overhear. Nancy stopped when she saw an entry from four months ago.

_August 2008: Wonder if N knows about boyfriend's new girlfriend. Name: Heather. Potential? Ask H._

Nancy shook her head and re-read the small passage. Whoever it was that had kidnapped her knew about Heather?

_December 2008: N broke up with boyfriend. Time to make move on Heather. _

Nancy gasped. This had been written the day before Heather was killed! She looked back down at the page. A hasty entry was scribbled down below on the same page.

_N has visitors. They've been recognized as Frank and Joe Hardy. Threat? Ask H._

Nancy closed the small notebook, jamming it back under the photos.

She closed the closet door and walked over to the windows. It was very tempting to call out it, but her captors would surely hear her.

Although, she had heard a door slam seconds before, possibly signaling that they had left. But she probably shouldn't risk it.

She sunk down beside a pile of snow and rested her head against the wall.

She let a small sneeze escape, just as she heard a sigh come from the direction of the window.

She froze. Did she really just hear a sigh? Was someone up there? Did they hear her sneeze?

"H-hello?" she called out, cautious. Could it possibly be her kidnappers, just watching her from a different view?

"Nancy?" said a strong masculine voice.

"Frank?" She asked her heart filling with hope. Frank had come to save her!

"Where are you?" She heard him say.

"I'm under the window down here!" Nancy called excitedly.

She heard a shuffling motion, and a pile of snow was brushed away from the window.

Her heart soared when a familiar brown head poked through the snow.

"Frank!" Nancy exclaimed.

"Hey, Nance! Fancy meeting you here!" Frank said with a wide grin on his face. He knew he shouldn't be smiling in this situation, but he was just so damn happy to see her!

Nancy felt joyful. Sure, she was still stuck in this basement, but Frank had come to save her.

In fact, Nancy was so grateful towards Frank, she felt like kissing him.

So she did.

Frank seemed surprised, but eagerly responded to the kiss, before the nagging voice in his head told him it was NOT THE TIME!

He pulled away from the kiss, unable to keep the smile off his face despite there current situation.

"Can you fit through this window?" He asked.

"Do you think I can?" Nancy asked, pointing towards the windows small size.

"I think it's bigger than it looks. I'll try brushing away the snow," he said, and began pulling the snow away from Nancy.

He was about part-way through when his phone began to vibrate.

"Hello?" He said, knowing it was Joe.

"Hey, Frank! We're almost there. Where should we meet you?" His brother asked.

"I'm along the side of the house. Hurry! I found Nancy!" Frank called into the phone.

"Really? Where?" Joe asked eagerly after relaying the information to Bess, who squealed with joy.

"In the basement. Say hi, Nancy," Frank said, holding the phone through the window.

"Hey, Joe, Bess," Nancy said, beginning to look impatient. She handed the phone back to Frank, without looking up.

But when she did, the sight scared the pants off her.

Standing behind Frank was Hal, holding a gun to his side and grinning devilishly.

--

Less than ten minutes later, Frank and Nancy were tied back to back in the cold basement.

Hal had left them alone for a minute, giving Frank time to explain everything to Nancy.

"Really? It was Hal? And Todd and Stevens?" Nancy asked quietly, grasping Frank hand behind her.

"It would seem so," Frank said, giving Nancy's hand a tight squeeze.

"Why?" she asked.

"I don't know, Nancy," Frank said, shaking his head.

"I do!" said a cold voice from the staircase.

Nancy and Frank both craned their necks to see Hal, Stevens and Todd coming down the staircase, dressed in black robes, with white masks perched atop their heads.

Thinking quickly, Frank stretched his hand in the most awkward position possible and felt around the top of his pocket, and grasping the antenna on his cell phone (Hal had stuffed it into his pocket).

Quietly, he pulled his cell-phone out and maneuvered it so that he could hit speed dial one, aka Joe.

He pressed the phone against the ropes to muffle the sound of his brothers greeting.

"Care to explain?" Nancy asked, her voice squeaking a little.

"Why, thank you for asking Nancy; we'd love too!" Hal said sarcastically.

"You see, Nancy, you don't have to be from around here to know who you are. With all the fame you get for solving cases, cases the police department were supposed to solve, you could be from China and understand the meaning of 'Nancy Drew'. I know that jealousy is a horrible thing, but dear Nancy, some of us would like to be in the spotlight just once in a while, especially when the credit you get is supposed to be for us," Todd explained.

"So this is about jealousy?" Frank asked, his hand aching form holding his cell-phone at such an awkward angle.

"Yes, I guess you could say that," Stevens said, coming over and cutting the bonds between Nancy and Frank.

In fear that the Officer would see his cell, Frank jammed his hand back into his pocket, pushing the cell phone down, nearly breaking his wrist.

Stevens placed Frank on the opposite side of the room before he and Todd walked back upstairs.

"Where are they going?" Nancy asked.

"Oh, they're going to greet you friends, Joe and Bess. I'm sure they'd love to hear this, too," Hal said, and moments later Joe and Bess were shoved down the stairs their wrist already bound when they were shoved down beside Frank.

"So Nancy, where were we? Oh, yes. You see Nancy; I came up with a plan. A plan to get rid of you. Slowly, and surely, piece by piece you'd begin to break down, until you were begging for death. Which you will," Hal said with an evil smile. "Once they got involved, it would be easy enough to get away with everything. We're cops; we know how the bad guys' minds work. We know every flaw in every plan, every detail that will get searched, and every person who'll get questioned. Why? Because we organize it all. But one thing was still missing: practice. With my little sister's help, Marilynn had been involved with this kind of stuff forever, we--,"

"Your little sister _Marilynn_?" Nancy asked, shocked.

"Oh, yes. You do in fact know me as Hal, and Michael. A wig, some colored contacts, cleverly using Blair to hide my face, and I'm a whole new person," Hal said evilly.

"You killed your own sister?" Bess asked, disgusted.

"No, that was Phil," Hal said, gesturing towards Stevens. "But she had to go. I still can't believe my sister would just give that information to you."

"Anyway…?" Nancy said, prodding for more information.

"Anyway, we were able to find people with similar traits to you. Red hair, same boyfriends, same hometown, same exact face, same apartment..."Hal said, trailing off.

Bess went white.

"How does Bess tie into this?" Joe asked.

"I'll get to that in a minute. Anyway, by doing this we would prefect our talents, plus, you get a major rush from it…" Hal said, while Todd and Stevens nodded along.

"When the Hardy brothers arrived, it was kinda like 'oh, crap!'. Until we realized, that now when we kill you, they'll be someone to blame. We could get all the evidence together, it would be easy enough, and so with the Hardy's in jail, and the famous Nancy Drew dead, we'd get all the fame and _fortune_…" Hal said, pausing on the word. "Especially for solving the murder of Miss Drew over hear. But there was one catch, Bess came home early. Normally, that would be great, except for the fact that you took here everywhere with you. She'd see this and would testify for the Hardy's. Unless she was dead. Hey, it wouldn't be that hard, and it's just one more thing to stick the Hardy's with," Hal said. "So, you're going to sit there, and watch us kill Nancy. And then, Bess. And then, from the inside of your prison cell, you'll watch us live in the lap of luxury, just like we deserve."

Hal took a moment to clear his thoughts. Joe took this time to continue the work he had been doing on the poorly tied binds. Bess had used her long nails to get the rope free, and was now working on Frank's while Joe worked on his own.

Joe felt the final knot come untied, and slip to the ground. Bess nudged him in the side to signal Frank's release.

"…so Nancy, good night and good-bye. It was a pleasure knowing you. I would have loved to know you…better…" Hal said, raising his eyebrows suggestively. "But these two wouldn't let me." With these final words, Hal placed a kiss on Nancy's lips.

Frank shifted angrily, but didn't move, knowing it would blow the plan that Bess had whispered into his ear.

Hal drew back, and Nancy reflexively spit, rotating her head so that she could wipe her mouth on her shoulder.

Frank felt better at this, but fear again sank into his gut as Stevens and Todd pulled guns out from under their robes and lowered their masks.

Hal followed the motion and the three police officers stood in a line, their gloved hands gripping their guns tightly.

Bess jabbed him in the side, Joe's signal, and he stood up quietly, shaking as he snuck up behind them.

Bess and Joe quickly rapped their ropes around Stevens and Todd's neck.

The two officers faces quickly turned purple and they dropped their guns to the floor, clawing at their necks.

This caused Hal to turn, and was immediately punch in the stomach by Frank, who was kneeling close to the floor for when, as he knew, would instinctively pull the trigger.

Hal collapsed to the floor, and Frank resisted punching him again as he pulled the gun from Hal's grasp.

Using the gun, he motioned towards the wall, where Bess and Joe were already tying Hal's partners together.

Hal was also quickly tied up, and before Frank could stop him, Joe reached out and punched him in the face.

"That is for killing those girls, spying on Nancy, and kidnapping the love of my brother's life! You should've thought before you crossed me, 'cause if I ever see you again, I'll be doing more than punching you, got it?" Joe screamed into Hal's face.

The (former) police officer nodded his head weakly as blood oozed out of his nose.

But Frank didn't really notice. If he had, he probably wouldn't be upset with Joe.

But right now, all Frank had eyes for was Nancy.

He had untied her, and pulled her into a bone crushing embrace, onto which Joe and Bess quickly added too.

But soon, his friends pulled away, leaving just him and Nancy, swaying back and forth.

Dancing to the music created by police sirens, holding each other like it was the only thing that mattered.

And the only thing Nancy heard when the police broke down the front door, was Frank's deep voice telling her that he loved her.

* * *

**A/N: YAY! I finished!**

**I'll post the epilogue early tomorrow morning.**

**Sorry for any mistakes, I didn't have a chance to spell check it because it's late and I'm going out of town tomorrow, so I should really be in bed.**

**Reviews?**

**.**


	15. Epilogue

**

* * *

**

A/N: How I managed to get up at the un-Godly hour that I did I will never know.

**And oh, my God! I'm so, so sorry for making you wait all this time for this.**

**I tried to update this before I left, but alas, THE SITE WOULDN'T LET ME!  
Sorry!**

**So here it is, the epilogue:**

* * *

Nancy unlocked the door to her apartment and stepped inside.

She held the door open and giggled as Frank tried to carry all six bags in at once.

"I could help, you know," she said, trying to contain her laughter as Frank tripped on the edge of her rug and sent all of the luggage flying.

"You shouldn't have too. This is technically still part of your vacation," Frank said, standing up and brushing off his clothes.

"This is probably the first vacation of my entire life that hasn't been interrupted by some sort of case. Not even my earrings went missing. I'm kinda restless. Let me help," Nancy begged.

"It's not called being restless. It's called being relaxed," Frank called over his shoulder.

Nancy pouted. Finally when Frank turned to look at her, he laughed and pulled her into a hug.

"Well, despite the mind numbing boredom, did you have fun?" He asked.

"I guess it was a little fun," Nancy said, hugging Frank back. "It was sweet of you to invite Joe and Vanessa."

"It's not what I would call sweet. Joe overheard and decided that he was invited," Frank grumbled, giving Nancy a small kiss before struggling with the luggage again.

"Thank you," Nancy said, and Frank gave her a strange look. "For the trip I mean."

It had been Frank's idea that getting away for a while would be good for Nancy. Especially after the week they went through. Nobody was injured, and Nancy managed to escape it all with just a cold.

"Oh, well. You're welcome," Frank said, getting a mischievous look on his face. "For both things."

Nancy looked startled.

"Both things? What do you mean by both things?" Nancy asked, but Frank just shrugged.

"Come on, Frank! Tell me!" She pleaded, following Frank down the hall, where he opened the door to her bedroom and placed her luggage on her bed.

Nancy stared openmouthed at the room.

It was freshly painted, and filled with the new, very stylish furniture.

"Frank! How did you…?" Nancy started, staring at the room.

"Bess," he answered, grinning at the look of disbelief on Nancy's face. "Oh, no, she just picked out the stuff and hired some guys to do it. And by some guys, I mean your dad."

"OK, that makes a bit more sense," Nancy laughed. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Frank said, suddenly shifting and looking away

"Frank? What's wrong?" Nancy asked, touching Frank on the arm.

"Stupid Joe, made me promise to do this," Frank started. "I know this going to sound stupid, but Nancy, will you go out with me?"

Nancy was shocked.

"Um, Frank? Over a month ago, you told me that you loved me. We just went on holiday together. Don't you think this part should have come before all that?" She asked, not at all displeased.

"I told you it was stupid," he said. "But come one, will you?"

Nancy pretended to think about it for a minute before nodding her head.

Frank enveloped her in a hug and Nancy finally felt at home.

Not in apartment 5B, but in Frank's arms.

**A/N: That's it, folks! This story can finally be classified as 'Complete'.**

**Thank you (again) to everyone who took time to review. You guys really did make my day(s). I hope you enjoyed this!**

**I'd like to thank my friend Valerie. She was a big help throughout the entire writing process. I probably sent her a bazillion e-mails about this. She always had good ideas, and kept me on track. Without her constant, er, reminding (coughnaggingcough) to finish each chapter, I'd still be on Chapter 4. **

**Also, there would be a lot more spelling mistakes if she didn't proof-read everything I wrote.**

**So, I dedicate this story to my friend Val. Yes, Nancy's pseudonym was after her. Frank's too, in a way. She knows what I mean.**

**Again, thanks to everyone who reviewed. **

**BTW, I'm thinking about doing a sequel- type thing, so keep your eyes peeled for anything by yours truly!**

**Peace Out!  
MissMe113**


End file.
